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COLLEGE    THEATER    AT   POMONA,    CALIFORNIA 


OUTDOOR 
THEATERS 


THE  DESIGN,  CONSTRUCTION  AND 
USE  OF  OPEN-AIR  AUDITORIUMS 


FRANK    A.  WAUGH 


BOSTON:   RICHARD   G.  BADGER 

TORONTO:  THE  COPP  CLARK  co.,  LIMITED 


COPTBIGHT,  1917,  BY  RlCHARD  G.  BADGER 

All  Rights  Reserved 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 
The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


TO  MY  ASSOCIATE 
PROFESSOR  ARTHUR  KENYON  HARRISON 

IN  RECOGNITION  OF  HIS  CONSTANT  HELP  AND 

NEVER-FAILING  SYMPATHY,  THIS  VOLUME 

IS  MOST  CORDIALLY  INSCRIBED 


OUTDOOR  THEATERS 

In  direct  relation  to  the  redeeming  of  country  and  in- 
dustrial districts  through  constructive  leisure,  is  the 
founding  of  outdoor  theaters  for  the  people. 

In  the  country,  at  present,  there  are  few,  or  none, 
which  are  not  privately  owned,  built  usually  for  city  "col- 
onies" m  the  country.  Yet  no  better  investment — m 
pleasure  and  the  resultant  attraction  of  wealth — could  be 
made  by  a  country  community  than  an  outdoor  theater, 
properly  conducted  during  the  outdoor  season.  This  con- 
sideration I  suggest  to  the  officers  of  att  local  Granges. 
The  MacDowett  outdoor  stage  at  Peterborough,  N.  H.,  is 
an  excellent  precedent  for  the  founding  of  such  theaters. 
The  summer  circuit  of  the  Coburn  Players  demonstrates 
an  already  nationwide  demand  for  them. 

The  glory  of  the  Greek  outdoor  theater  need  only  be 
referred  to,  m  suggestion.  Under  the  sun  and  stars,  as 
nowhere  else,  dramatic  art  becomes  convincing  to  the 
people. 

In  cities,  the  public  parks  and  commons  should  cer- 
tainly be  provided  with  such  theaters:  an  existing  preju- 
dice to  the  contrary  m  some  cities  is  merely  the  reUc  of 
individualistic  or  Puritanical  ideals.  Since  the  parks  are 
for  the  people's  civic  pleasure,  they  should  be  made  futt 
and  efficient  instruments,  by  means  of  civic  art.  The  out- 
door theater  at  Berkeley,  California,  has  proved  itself  the 
noblest  direct  art  influence  m  the  San  Francisco  region. 
It  has  also,  in  performances  there  by  Sarah  Bernhardt, 
Margaret  Anglm,  Maude  Adams,  Robert  Mantett,  and 


Outdoor  Theaters 


other  professional  companies,  illustrated  the  leadership 
of  the  theater's  art,  even  under  the  commercial  conditions 
which  now  prevent  it  from  performing  such  public  service 
universally. 

PERCY  MACKAYE. 


CONTENTS 


I.     QUESTIONS   OF   USE 

PAGE 

QUESTIONS  OP  USE 15 

The  Shakespearean  Tradition 17 

Modern  Drama 19 

The  Rural  Drama 20 

The  Greek  Drama 22 

Masques 24 

Informal  Programs 25 

Formal   Speaking 27 

II.  PROBLEMS   OF   DESIGN 

PROBLEMS  OF  DESIGN 31 

Size 36 

Enclosure 39 

Orientation 43 

Locations 46 

Seats 47 

The  Stage 50 

The  Foyer 54 

The  Proscenium 55 

Furnishings 58 

Lighting 60 

Acoustics 62 

III.  SELECTED    EXAMPLES 

"BANKSIDE" 65 

"GARDEN  TERRACE  THEATER" 69 

POMONA  COLLEGE  THEATER 75 

GREEK  THEATER  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  80 


Contents 


PAGE 

VASSAR  COLLEGE 85 

"Isis  THEATER" 89 

"THE  RHODODENDRON  GARDEN" 93 

BRYN  MAWR 96 

"BROOKSIDE" 98 

"CRANBROOK" 102 

A  REAL  MUNICIPAL  THEATER 107 

GARDEN  THEATER  IN  DRESDEN 110 

REDLANDS  BOWL 113 

THE  JOHN  HAY  AMPHITHEATER 115 

CARMEL,  CALIFORNIA 123 

A  PLAYERS'  GREEN 125 

PLAYERS'  GREEN,  COLUMBUS  PARK,  CHICAGO     .       .       .128 

ITALIAN  GARDEN  THEATERS 131 

SUGAR  LOAF 136 

ABENAKI  CHAPEL 138 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 143 

INDEX 149 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

College  Theater  at  Pomona,  California  .       .       .     Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

"Cranbrook" — the  Dressing  Rooms 16 

The    Auditorium     and    the    Stage    at    Prospect    Park, 

St.    Louis 20 

A  California  "Greek"  Theater  at  Pomona  College    .       .  88 

A  Garden  Theater  Under  Construction 46 

Two  Views  of  a  Pageant  in  the  Yale  Bowl  ....  60 
First  Professional  Performance  in  the  Bankside  Theater, 

University  of  North  Dakota 66 

The  "Garden  Terrace  Theater" 70 

Scenes  Presented  on  the  Stage  of  the  College  Theater, 

Pomona 76 

Two  Views  of  the  Stage  of  the  Vassar  College  Theater  86 

Two  Views  of  "Isis  Theater,"  Point  Loma       ...  90 

"Brookside,"  Mt.  Kisco,  N.  Y 100 

"Cranbrook,"   the   Orchestra 103 

"Cranbrook,"  Exterior  Embellishments       ....  105 
Outdoor  Municipal  Theater,  Anoka,  Minnesota  .       .       .108 

Two  Views  of  "The  Bowl,"  Redlands,  California  .       .  114 

John  Hay  Amphitheater,  Baguio,  P.  1 120 

Outdoor  Auditorium,  Sugar  Loaf  Reservation,  Massa- 
chusetts      120 

Auditorium,  Stage  and  Entrance  Gate  of  the  Outdoor 

Theater  at  Carmel,  California 124 

Two  Views  of  Players'  Green  on  Private  Grounds  .       .126 

Abenaki  Chapel 1S8 

Private  Garden  Theater,  "Weld,"  Massachusetts  .       .138 


PLANS 


PAGE 

BUTTERICK   MEMORIAL  PARK 21 

OUTDOOR  THEATER,  MT.  HOLYOKE  COLLEGE     ...  26 

OPEN-AIR  THEATER,  FRESNO,  CALIFORNIA  ....  32 

THE  VILLA  MONDRAGONE 34 

A  GARDEN  THEATER,  MANNHEIM,  GERMANY     ...  37 

VILLA  MARLIA 40 

VILLA  COLLODI 42 

"CAFE  CHANTANT,"  TEMPORARY  THEATER  FOR  CHARITY 

BAZAAR,  BROOKLINE,  MASS 45 

OUTDOOR  THEATER,  WARSAW 48 

FOREST  PARK,  OUTDOOR  THEATER 52 

SUGGESTIVE  DESIGN  BY  Miss  S.  JOSEPHINE  STRANGE      .  57 

THE  GARDEN  THEATER,  SEGARDI,  NEAR  SIENA  ...  59 

ELIZABETHAN  THEATER,  YANKTON  COLLEGE      ...  70 

GREEK  THEATER,  POMONA  COLLEGE 77 

GREEK  THEATER,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  .       .       .  81 

OUTDOOR  THEATER,  VASSAR  COLLEGE 86 

GREEK  THEATER,  INTERNATIONAL  THEOSOPHICAL  HEAD- 
QUARTERS, POINT  LOMA,  CALIFORNIA  ....  90 
"RHODODENDRON    GARDEN,"    MASSACHUSETTS   AGRICUL- 
TURAL COLLEGE 94 

OPEN-AIR  THEATER,  BRYN  MAWR  COLLEGE      ...  97 

"BROOKSIDE,"  MT.  Kisco,  N.  Y 99 

CRANBROOK  THEATER 104 

OPEN-AIR  THEATER,  AN  OKA,  MINN 108 

GARDEN  THEATER,  DRESDEN Ill 

BAND  CONCERT  THEATER,  REDLANDS,  CALIFORNIA  .       .114 

R.  P.  CONKLIN  OPEN-AIR  THEATER 117 

OPEN-AIR  THEATER,  CARMEL,  CALIFORNIA  .       .       .       .124 

PLAYERS'  GREEN    ...  126 


11 


Plans 

PAOT 

AN  OUTDOOR  THEATER,  COLUMBUS  PARK,  CHICAGO  .       .129 

THEATER  OF  HERCULES — I  SOLA  BELLA 132 

GARDEN  THEATER,  VILLA  GORI,  SIENA      .       .       .       .133 
THEATER  OF  DIANA  .       .       .       .134 


12 


QUESTIONS  OF  USE 


OUTDOOR    THEATERS 

QUESTIONS  OF  USE 

IN  order  to  secure  the  greatest  enjoyment  from 
the  outdoor  theater  it  is  necessary  to  know  how 
to  use  it.    It  cannot  be  used  like  an  indoor  the- 
ater.    This  ought  to  be  sufficiently  plain.     Yet 
attempts  are  sometimes  made  to  transfer  the  per- 
formances of  an  ordinary  playhouse  directly  to  the 
out-of-doors,  and  such  transfers  are  certain  to  result 
in  disappointment. 

A  good  principle  to  follow  in  this  matter  is  this : 
produce  in  an  outdoor  theater  only  such  entertain- 
ments as  can  be  presented  there  to  better  advan- 
tage than  in  the  indoor  theater.  This  rule  should 
be  interpreted  to  apply  both  to  the  performance  and 
to  the  audience.  Those  in  attendance  must  be  at 
least  as  comfortable  and  as  well  provided  for  in 
the  outdoor  theater  as  they  would  be  indoors,  and 
the  performance  must  be  such  that  it  is  artistically 


15 


Outdoor  Theaters 


more  effective  in  the  outdoor  setting.  If  a  play 
can  be  given  better  on  an  indoor  stage,  or  if  the 
audience  can  be  better  accommodated  in  the  indoor 
playhouse,  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  take  th»  perform- 
ance out-of-doors. 


" — THE  DRESSING  ROOMS 

Now  there  are  a  considerable  number  of  plays 
and  types  of  entertainment  which  can  be  effectively 
presented  in  the  outdoor  setting.  Last  spring,  when 
the  wild  crab  apple  trees  were  in  blossom,  my  friend 
Mr.  Jens  Jensen,  artist  and  landscape  gardener, 
arranged  an  ideal  entertainment  for  some  of  his 


16 


Outdoor  Theaters 


friends.  He  found  a  grassy  glade  beside  a  brook 
set  beautifully  with  blossoming  crab  apples.  Hav- 
ing seated  the  audience  on  a  sloping  bank,  he  intro- 
duced a  pretty  girl  in  white,  who  sat  beneath  the 
crab  apple  tree  and  played  Mendelssohn's  "Spring 
Song"  on  the  harp.  In  response  to  this  music  there 
appeared  from  the  dark  recesses  of  the  surrounding 
wood  a  group  of  fairies — children  dressed  in  browns 
— who  danced  on  the  grass. 

This  picture  is  complete  in  itself.  It  does  not 
require  a  plot,  a  dramatic  climax,  or  a  denouement. 
It  is  an  ideal  type  of  performance  for  the  outdoor 
theater  or  players'  green. 

The  Shakespearean  Tradition 

It  is  the  historic  tradition  that  Shakespeare's 
plays  were  first  produced  on  a  stage  without  scen- 
ery. Further  than  that,  the  playhouse  itself  was 
almost  as  open  and  out-of-doors  as  the  modern 
aerdrome.  It  would  be  much  less  of  a  shift,  there- 
fore, to  take  any  of  the  Shakespearean  plays  from 
their  original  setting  to  an  outdoor  theater  than  to 


17 


Outdoor  Theaters 


take  them  to  the  big  elaborate  playhouses  of  Broad- 
way and  the  Strand,  with  all  their  spectacular  stage 
effects.  The  tradition  of  Shakespeare  therefore 
seems  to  make  his  masterpieces  reasonably  available 
for  outdoor  performances. 

Some  of  them  have  always  had  a  reputation  in« 
this  field.  "As  You  Like  It"  has  been  widely  re- 
garded as  an  outdoor  play,  and  if  there  is  a  college 
in  the  country  where  the  local  dramatic  club  has 
not  some  time  performed  "As  You  Like  It"  on  the 
college  campus,  such  an  institution  ought  to  be  in- 
vestigated. Other  plays  and  parts  of  plays  are 
almost  equally  adapted  to  outdoor  presentation,  as, 
for  example,  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  and 
parts  of  "Cymbeline,"  "Hamlet"  and  "Lear." 

This  tradition  for  the  performance  of  Shake- 
speare on  the  lawn  has  been  greatly  intensified  in  re- 
cent years  by  the  work  of  certain  professional  and 
semi-professional  troupes,  most  notably  the  Ben 
Greet  Players.  Their  presentations  have  reached  a 
high  degree  of  artistic  success,  and  have  pleased 
thousands  of  spectators.  It  may  fairly  be  said  that 
such  performances  have  reached  beyond  the  high- 


Outdoor  Theaters 


brow  audiences  and  have  actually  touched  the  pop- 
ular imagination. 

Modern  Drama 

Acting  on  the  principle  already  announced,  that 
we  should  never  present  on  an  outdoor  stage  any 
performance  which  can  be  better  cared  for  indoors, 
we  have  practically  eliminated  all  modern  drama. 
There  is  hardly  a  piece  of  any  sort,  known  or  un- 
known, which  has  not  been  prepared  especially  for 
the  modern  playhouse  with  its  curtains,  its  wings, 
and  its  easy  shifts  of  scenery.  To  be  sure  there  are 
frequently  found  in  these  plays  certain  scenes  or 
acts  represented  as  passing  out  of  doors.  It  might 
be  possible,  therefore,  to  select  such  fragments  and 
to  present  them  decently  on  an  outdoor  stage;  but 
these  parts  are  so  rare  and  genuinely  fragmentary 
that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  consider  them. 

While  we  rule  out  practically  the  entire  body 
of  modern  drama  as  it  exists,  this  need  not  neces- 
sarily close  the  chapter.  It  is  still  possible  to  pro- 
duce modern  drama  with  all  the  best  and  worst  and 


19 


Outdoor  Theaters 


most  popular  (either  best  or  worst)  ideas,  facts  and 
fashions  of  the  hour,  and  to  cast  these  ideas  into 
such  a  scheme  as  will  fit  the  outdoor  theater.  In 
other  words,  any  good  playwright  could,  with  rea- 
sonable ease,  write  an  outdoor  drama  if  he  tried. 
Let  us  hope  that  the  work  will  be  undertaken  by 
many  competent  persons. 

The  Rural  Drama 

With  the  present  rejuvenation  of  rural  life  many 
suggestions  have  been  offered,  amongst  others  the 
idea  of  a  rural  drama.  Doubtless  different  persons 
have  different  visions  of  what  the  rural  drama  ought 
to  be.  Certainly  one  fair  interpretation  of  the 
thought  is  that  it  should  present  a  true,  artistic 
and  inspiring  picture  of  rural  life.  This  is  already 
done  in  a  few  such  plays  as  "The  Old  Homestead," 
but  it  is  possible  to  go  considerably  further  in  this 
direction,  and  especially  to  develop  a  drama  which 
will  be  distinctly  adapted  to  the  rural  environment. 
"The  Old  Homestead,"  for  example,  is  a  delightful 
country  play,  especially  effective  when  presented 


20 


THE  AUDITORIUM  AND  THE  STAGE  AT  PROSPECT  PARK,  ST.  LOUIS.     "THE 
PIED  PIPER  OF  HAMELIN" 


Outdoor  Theaters 


on  a  New  York  City  stage.  What  we  would  really 
like  to  have  is  a  rural  drama  which  would  reach 
its  artistic  perfection  when  presented  in  a  purely 
rural  environment. 


Of  course  we  dismiss  without  further  comment 
the  ruck  of  "rural"  stuff,  "rube  specialties,"  and  the 
like,  which  have  a  constant  market  in  the  city  play- 
houses, but  which  have  no  connection  at  any  point 
with  what  we  are  now  discussing.  The  rural  drama, 


21 


Outdoor  Theaters 


properly  speaking,  remains  to  be  developed.  When 
it  comes,  however,  it  ought  to  find  its  natural  setting 
in  the  outdoor  theater. 

The  Greek  Drama 

In  studying  the  field  of  drama,  with  reference  to 
outdoor  presentations,  every  one  must  be  immedi- 
ately struck  by  the  ancient  Greek  literature.  Here 
we  have  a  considerable  body  of  dramatic  writing 
definitely  produced  for  outdoor  performance.  This 
literature  is  known  to  have  a  high  degree  of  artistic 
excellence,  and  has  been  urged  upon  students  of 
all  classes  for  centuries. 

When  we  come  to  examine  this  material  we  are 
forcibly  struck  with  the  similarity  which  it  shows 
at  certain  points  to  the  modern  popular  drama.  It 
was  in  every  way  a  popular  article.  The  work  of 
Aristophanes,  for  example,  abounds  in  local  polit- 
ical hits,  cheap  "gags"  for  the  gallery,  shady  street 
jokes,  and  much  of  the  stuff  which  is  now  consid- 
ered most  cheap  and  vulgar  in  our  most  popular 
playhouses.  The  remarkable  modernity  of  this  ma- 


22 


Outdoor  Theaters 


terial  cannot  be  better  emphasized  than  in  remark- 
ing that  one  of  the  plays  of  Aristophanes,  "The 
Ecclesiazusae,"  written  393  years  B.  C.,  has  re- 
cently been  translated  under  the  title  "Votes  for 
Women,"  and  that  it  very  cleverly  presents  the 
modern  question  just  as  one  might  get  it  in  Kansas 
or  New  Jersey. 

However,  this  is  not  the  whole  of  the  Greek 
drama,  the  main  body  of  which  is  to  be  found  in 
Euripides,  .ZEschylus  and  Sophocles,  with  Aristoph- 
anes taking  fourth  place.  All  these  plays  are 
worthy  of  the  most  careful  study  in  reference  to 
modern  acting  out-of-doors,  and  some  of  them  are 
well  worth  reproduction  in  substantially  their 
ancient  form. 

The  great  advantage  of  study  of  the  Greek 
drama,  however,  comes  from  a  consideration  of  its 
form.  This  form  seems  to  be  very  much  better 
adapted  to  the  outdoor  theater  than  the  popular 
plays  of  the  day,  which  consist  of  a  complicated 
plot  developed  through  four  or  five  acts  with  a 
complete  change  of  scenery  at  each  curtain.  In 
distinction  from  this,  the  Greek  drama  had  the 


23 


Outdoor  Theaters 


simplest  possible  dramatic  form.  There  was  very 
little  plot,  and  the  dramatic  action  moved  rather 
slowly  and  very  simply.  There  was  a  minimum  of 
acting,  in  the  modern  sense  of  complicated  stage 
business,  the  ideas  being  presented  more  frequently 
in  the  form  of  recitations  or  very  simple  dialogues. 
A  very  small  number  of  actors  were,  therefore, 
required  for  the  drama  proper.  The  various  epi- 
sodes or  paragraphs  of  this  program  of  recitations 
and  dialogues  were  supported  by  choruses  sung 
or  chanted  by  a  costumed  group  more  or  less  in 
the  background.  These  choruses  presented  both  a 
visual  and  an  auditory  background  to  the  dialogue, 
serving  thus  to  complete  the  picture  and  make  it 
more  interesting. 

This  Greek  model  would  seem  to  be  capable  of 
ready  adaptation  to  the  present  needs  of  the  out- 
door theater. 

Masques 

Masques  and  simple  pageants  would  seem  to  be 
more  nearly  the  ideal  type  of  performance  for  the 
garden  theater.  These  have  a  greater  simplicity  of 


Outdoor  Theaters 


structure,  depend  less  on  purely  literary  effects, 
but  more  upon  the  stage  picture  and  upon  the  use 
of  symbolism.  It  is  worth  while  to  notice  that  a 
few  fairly  successful  masques  have  been  produced 
in  this  country  during  the  last  few  years,  notably 
Mr.  Percy  Mackaye's  famous  "Bird  Masque."  It 
is  amongst  literature  of  this  sort  we  ought  to  look 
for  the  things  most  suitable  to  outdoor  performance. 
Meantime  audiences  should  learn  to  depend  more 
upon  their  imaginations,  more  upon  poetic  symbol- 
ism, more  upon  broad  suggestions,  and  less  upon 
detailed  verbal  development  of  a  complicated  plot. 

Informal  Programs 

Our  study  of  the  requirements  of  the  outdoor 
theater  have  thus  led  us  to  the  general  con- 
clusion that  simplicity  of  plot  and  smoothness  of 
dramatic  action  are  particularly  required  to  make 
our  outdoor  performances  successful.  This  leads 
us  naturally  to  a  consideration  of  the  less  formal 
types  of  entertainment,  such  as  recitations,  ballad 
singing,  simple  folk  dancing,  and  various  musical 


25 


Outdoor  Theaters 


programs.  Those  who  have  heard  the  Fuller  sis- 
ters sing  their  charming  English  ballads  can  easily 
imagine  how  effective  their  performances  would  be 


Screen        to'  H., 


Ef  White    P,  ma 
I  P°r~      ^ 
mr*r     Crood    backg 


CROSS 

OUTDOOR    Ttte-ATE-R 

Mt.    fiolyoKe     College 


Outdoor  Theaters 


if  presented  in  an  attractive  intimate  garden 
theater.  Musical  programs  of  various  kinds,  espe- 
cially those  commonly  called  chamber  music,  can 
be  made  very  effective  outdoors.  There  is  some- 
thing about  most  music  which  harmonizes  exquis- 
itely with  the  landscape.  Most  of  the  simple  clas- 
sics, as,  for  example,  Titl's  "Serenade,"  Mascagni's 
"Intermezzo  Sinfonico,"  Haendel's  "Largo,"  and 
all  the  delightful  songs  with  or  without  words  by 
Schubert,  Schumann  and  Mendelssohn,  could  not 
possibly  find  a  more  effective  presentation  than  in 
the  garden  theater  of  a  pleasant  summer  evening 
with  a  quiet  sky  and  a  smiling  moon. 

Perhaps  we  shall  find  the  best  use  of  all  for  our 
garden  theaters  in  the  presentation  of  such  entirely 
informal  programs  of  recitations,  singing,  and  in- 
strumental music  as  we  have  here  sketched. 

Formal  Speaking 

It  may  be  worth  while  also  to  call  attention  to 
the  value  of  the  outdoor  stage  for  formal  speaking. 
In  many  parts  of  the  country  it  is  customary  to 


Outdoor  Theaters 


hold  religious  services,  especially  preaching,  out 
of  doors  during  the  summer  months.  Evening 
preaching  is  more  commonly  undertaken  on  a  lawn 
than  the  regular  mid-day  services,  but  both  are 
pretty  well  known.  The  idea  of  outdoor  preaching 
is  perfectly  sound  and  worth  further  study.  It  is 
encouraging  to  think  how  much  could  be  accom- 
plished in  a  properly  designed  proseuche  and  with 
a  form  of  religious  service  nicely  adapted  to  such 
an  environment. 

Other  forms  of  public  speaking  could  also  be 
accommodated  out-of-doors.  It  is  interesting  to 
remember  that  the  public  affairs  of  the  earliest 
republics  were  conducted  in  this  manner,  the  agorae 
of  the  Greeks  and  the  forums  of  the  Romans  being 
simply  public  squares  open  to  the  sky  where  all 
kinds  of  public  and  political  addresses  were  de- 
livered. 


II 


PROBLEMS  OF  DESIGN 


PROBLEMS  OF  DESIGN 

THE  development  of  the  outdoor  theater 
presents  a  twofold  problem.  On  the  one 
hand  the  physical  theater  itself  must  be  de- 
signed, built  and  equipped,  while  on  the  other  hand 
a  careful  study  must  be  made  of  the  literary  struc- 
ture and  dress  of  the  performance  to  be  given  in 
the  theater.  The  performance  must  be  adapted  to 
the  theater  and  the  theater  to  the  performance. 
For  this  reason  every  problem  in  design  and  con- 
struction must  be  solved  in  view  of  the  special  use 
to  which  the  theater  is  to  be  put. 

Outdoor  auditoriums  of  many  kinds  already 
exist  in  America.  For  the  most  part  they  may  be 
classified  into  (a)  stadiums,  chiefly  for  athletic 
games;  (b)  large  temporary  grounds  arranged  for 
pageantry;  (c)  outdoor  commercial  places  of 
amusement,  "aerdromes,"  etc.,  used  for  moving  pic- 
ture shows,  summer  vaudeville,  etc.;  (d)  garden 
theaters  in  the  restricted  and  more  artistic  sense, 


31 


Outdoor  Theaters 


adapted  to  masques,  ballad  singing,  chamber  music, 
etc. 

The  big  athletic  stadiums  of  this  country  stand 


in  a  class  by  themselves.  They  have  been  occasion- 
ally used  for  dramatic  performances,  especially 
pageantry,  and  might  be  more  extensively  used  in 
that  way  to  considerable  advantage.  Of  course  the 


32 


Outdoor  Theaters 


regular  intercollegiate  football  games  are  much 
more  valuable  as  spectacles  than  as  games  of  skill. 
Many  of  them  might  fairly  be  called  pageants  in 
themselves.  The  brilliant  artistic  effect  is  very 
much  more  fetching  and  much  more  valuable  so- 
cially than  the  competition  for  touchdowns.  In  the 
following  discussion,  however,  I  do  not  intend  to 
consider  the  design  and  construction  of  stadiums  of 
this  class. 

The  design  of  a  suitable  setting  for  any  pageant 
should,  of  course,  be  regarded  as  a  matter  of  prime 
importance.  Some  attention  appears  to  have  been 
paid  to  this  point  in  almost  every  case,  including 
both  the  pictorial  setting  for  the  stage  and  the  com- 
fortable disposition  of  the  visitors.  Nevertheless 
performances  of  pageantry  have  been  so  notably 
local  and  temporary  that  nothing  much  better  than 
a  makeshift  treatment  has  ever  been  offered  for 
them.  It  has  not  been  possible  to  give  them  the 
advantages  of  a  thoroughly  well-built  auditorium 
or  of  an  ideally  designed  stage.  Further  than  this 
it  seems  impracticable  to  go  at  the  present  time. 

It  is  obvious  that  very  much  might  be  done  for 

83 


Outdoor  Theaters 


3tCTIO» 


1st  VILLA 


Outdoor  Theaters 


the  improvement  of  the  commercial  "aerdromes." 
For  the  most  part  these  are  rather  shabby  structures 
consisting  of  a  wooden  enclosure  with  a  cheap 
wooden  stage,  the  interior  of  the  auditorium  being 
commonly  ornamented  with  brilliant  advertising 
posters  celebrating  different  kinds  of  tobacco,  pat- 
ent medicines  and  corsets.  These  theaters,  however, 
are  well  worth  better  treatment.  They  represent 
a  sound  commercial  enterprise  and  one  which  is  ca- 
pable of  much  wider  development.  If  the  proprie- 
tors of  such  establishments  would  secure  the  assist- 
ance of  first-class  architects  and  landscape  archi- 
tects to  design  their  settings,  substituting  attrac- 
tive foliage  masses  for  coarse  advertising,  present- 
ing well  balanced  design  in  place  of  the  common 
squalid  setting,  it  would  be  good  business  for 
everybody  and  a  substantial  contribution  to  Ameri- 
can art. 

The  following  discussion,  however,  is  directed 
primarily  to  the  design  of  the  outdoor  theater  in  its 
strictest  definition.  It  holds  in  view  the  equipment 
of  a  place  for  first-class  artistic  presentation  of  suit- 
able drama,  folk  dancing,  ballad  singing,  readings, 

85 


Outdoor  Theaters 


music,  etc.     Some  of  the  features  of  such  theaters 
can  be  pointed  out  with  confidence. 

Size 

It  seems  possible  to  standardize  rather  definitely 
the  size  of  outdoor  theaters  of  all  classes.  The  foot- 
ball stadium  should  be  as  large  as  necessary — in 
other  words,  as  large  as  possible  in  most  cases. 
There  seems  to  be  no  limit  to  the  size  of  such  struc- 
tures except  the  limit  of  vision.  It  is  not  expected 
that  visitors  will  hear  much  of  what  is  said  on  the 
grounds. 

In  a  similar  way  it  seems  to  be  understood  that 
an  auditorium  for  pageantry  will  have  to  be  a 
large  one.  In  general  the  pageant  requires  consid- 
erable space  both  for  actors  and  auditors. 

The  commercial  "aerdrome"  should  seat  approxi- 
mately 500.  Anything  less  than  this  is  a  doubtful 
commercial  success ;  anything  more  is  unsatisfactory 
to  the  audience.  In  fact  it  is  practically  impossible 
to  attract  and  satisfy  audiences  larger  than  500  with 
legitimate  entertainment  of  moving  pictures  and 
summer  vaudeville. 


Outdoor  Theaters 


In  the  matter  of  outdoor  theaters  proper,  it  is 
also  quite  clear  that  a  small  theater  is  better  than 
a  large  one.  In  many  of  the  theaters  of  the  old 


3  e  c  t  i  o  n 


A    0)AO£  N     Tfl  t  A 

M  » »  MCIN    •  QEUIHT 

Italian  villas  the  accommodations  would  serve  only 
the  smallest  audiences,  sometimes  not  more  than  a 
dozen  or  two. 


37 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Furthermore  it  seems  to  be  a  technical  and  artis- 
tic requirement  that  the  outdoor  theater  should  be 
made  compact  and  intimate.  If  the  place  is  large 
and  open,  the  performers  and  spectators  being 
separated  by  considerable  spaces,  then  the  burden 
upon  the  performers  of  reaching  the  auditors  be- 
comes altogether  too  great.  This  difficulty  is  both 
physical  and  psychological.  It  is  a  very  real  diffi- 
culty in  an  outdoor  theater  and  must  be  heroically 
overcome.  The  way  to  overcome  it  is  to  contract 
the  size  of  the  theater,  to  bring  the  audience  and 
performers  closely  together,  and  to  give  the  place 
a  strong  feeling  of  enclosure  and  privacy. 

It  seems  fair  to  estimate  therefore  that  a  garden 
theater,  to  be  successful  from  an  artistic  standpoint, 
should  not  undertake  to  care  for  audiences  larger 
than  300  or  400.  Even  better  artistic  results  can 
probably  be  secured  in  most  situations  by  cutting 
the  auditorium  down  to  accommodate  not  more  than 
200.  Generally  speaking,  however,  we  may  look 
upon  500  as  the  maximum. 


38 


A    CALIFORNIA       GREEK 
LEGE,    CALIFORNIA 


THEATER.       COLLEGE    THEATER    AT    POMONA    COL- 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Enclosure 

The  commercial  "aerdrome,"  of  course,  requires 
enclosure  in  order  that  everybody  can  be  kept  out 
except  those  who  have  paid  the  admission  fee. 
Nearly  all  outdoor  theaters  are  used  at  times  for 
paid  performances  and  this  same  problem  arises  in 
a  more  or  less  definite  way.  In  some  cases  it  will 
be  necessary,  therefore,  to  enclose  a  theater  against 
unpaid  intruders.  Such  an  enclosure  can  usually  be 
made  with  woven  wire  fencing  which  can  be  intro- 
duced in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  wholly  invisible 
or  at  least  unobtrusive. 

So  far  this  is  wholly  a  practical  matter,  but  artis- 
tically the  sense  of  enclosure  is  much  more  impor- 
tant. The  theater  must  be  secluded  and  private. 
It  cannot  be  open  to  all  the  world  without  inviting 
a  wandering  attention  on  the  part  of  all  auditors. 
Even  if  the  visitors  have  such  self-control  as  to 
enable  them  to  concentrate  their  attention  definitely 
upon  the  stage  when  other  interests  are  visible  out- 
side, it  is  still  exceedingly  important  that  the  audi- 
ence and  the  performers  should  feel  a  sense  of  inti- 


Outdoor  Theaters 


macy  and  personal  relationship  fostered  by  the 
privacy  of  the  place.  Such  a  psychological  condi- 
tion is  necessary  to  the  best  results.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  best  methods  of  securing  Ihis  privacy,  from 


the  standpoint  of  landscape  architecture,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  employment  of  trees,  shrubs,  and 
hedges.  Large  tree  masses  are  most  generally  use- 
ful. Straightly  trimmed  hedges  with  severe  out- 
lines and  monotonous  color  masses  can  certainly  be 


Outdoor  Theaters 


made  very  effective  under  some  conditions.  Walls 
of  brick  or  stucco  may  be  desirable  for  parts  of  these 
enclosures  under  certain  circumstances.  Since  it  is 
the  purpose  of  all  these  plantings  to  supply  first  the 
background  for  the  spectacle  and  second  a  quieting 
enclosure,  the  simpler  and  more  monotonous  com- 
positions are  the  better.  A  vigorous  lively  composi- 
tion of  highly  colored  foliage  and  broken  sky  line 
would  be  highly  unsuitable. 

One  other  point,  however,  needs  to  be  carefully 
considered  in  reference  to  this  problem  of  enclosure. 
It  hardly  seems  necessary  to  speak  of  the  question 
of  ventilation  in  an  outdoor  theater,  and  yet  as  a 
matter  of  fact  this  is  often  decidedly  important. 
The  outdoor  theater,  especially  the  commercial 
"aerdrome,"  attracts  people  during  the  hot  summer 
months  largely  with  the  idea  of  its  coolness.  There 
should  be,  therefore,  a  free  circulation  of  air 
throughout  the  auditorium.  If  there  is  any  sum- 
mer breeze  blowing  the  audience  is  entitled  to  the 
benefit  of  it.  Undoubtedly  a  strict  and  solid  en- 
closure of  the  place  for  purposes  of  privacy  is  likely 
to  interfere  with  this  very  desirable  air  circulation. 


Outdoor  Theaters 


J> 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Perhaps  some  compromise  of  the  two  requirements 
would  be  necessary  in  certain  cases. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  permissible  here  to  mention 
another  matter  of  some  consequence,  viz.,  the  insect 
nuisance.  The  plague  of  mosquitoes  is  in  fact  one 
of  the  worst  practical  drawbacks  to  many  an  out- 
door theater.  Civilization,  it  is  true,  is  making 
visible  progress  in  abolishing  this  pest,  and  perhaps 
the  day  will  come  when  we  may  count  it  out 
altogether. 

Orientation 

An  outdoor  theater  which  is  to  be  used  at  night 
may  have  almost  any  orientation.  As  many  such 
theaters,  however,  are  used  during  the  daylight 
hours,  more  especially  during  the  late  afternoon,  the 
position  of  the  sun  with  reference  to  the  stage  and 
the  onlookers  becomes  of  considerable  importance. 
In  looking  over  the  outdoor  theaters  built  in  various 
parts  of  this  country,  a  number  are  found  which 
have  gone  wrong  at  this  point.  Probably  the  worst 
arrangement  is  that  in  which  the  central  axis  of  the 
theater  runs  due  east  and  west,  with  the  audience 


Outdoor  Theaters 


placed  on  the  eastern  end  facing  westward.  Such 
an  arrangement  leaves  the  afternoon  sun  falling 
directly  in  their  eyes.  This  is  not  merely  uncom- 
fortable for  the  audience,  but  gives  a  very  poor 
development  of  the  stage  picture. 

The  opposite  arrangement,  placing  the  audience 
with  its  back  to  the  sun  and  the  stage  at  the  east, 
is  comfortable  for  the  visitors  and  presents  a  fairly 
good  stage  picture.  The  direct  sunlight  in  the  eyes 
of  the  performers,  however,  is  uncomfortable  for 
them  and  must  interfere  with  the  success  of  their 
performance.  Moreover  it  does  not  give  a  better 
stage  picture  than  can  be  secured  with  a  side  light. 

Indeed,  side  lighting,  with  the  sunlight  falling 
upon  the  stage  at  an  angle  of  75  to  90  degrees, 
undoubtedly  gives  the  best  pictorial  effect.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  not  objectionable  to  either  audience 
or  performers.  For  this  reason  it  seems  desirable 
as  a  general  rule,  subject  to  some  exceptions  based 
on  topography  and  local  conditions,  to  place  an 
outdoor  theater  with  its  axis  approximately  north 
and  south.  Perhaps,  as  a  rule,  the  audience  should 
be  placed  at  the  southern  end  of  this  axis  with  the 


Outdoor  Theaters 


"CAPK  CHANTANT" — TEMPORART  THKATKR  FOR  CHARITY 
BAZAAR^  BROOKLINE,  MASS. 


Outdoor  Theaters 


stage  at  the  northern  end,  but  this  is  not  a  matter 
of  great  moment. 

Locations 

Suitable  locations  for  outdoor  theaters  are  not 
by  any  means  rare  in  natural  topography.  Every 
once  in  a  while  I  have  my  attention  directed  to  some 
outdoor  theater  nicely  nestled  in  the  bend  of  a 
bank,  and  find  that  the  makers  think  they  have 
found  a  unique  natural  formation  for  their  special 
benefit.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  concave  sloping 
hillside  is  rather  a  common  unit  in  the  works  of 
nature.  This  is  to  be  found  frequently  along  the 
sides  of  ravines,  at  the  head  of  small  canyons,  etc. 
In  any  country  which  has  a  rolling  or  diverse 
topography  a  very  moderate  search  will  discover 
places  suited  for  outdoor  theaters, — some,  of  course, 
better  than  others. 

Wherever  possible,  advantage  should  be  taken  of 
such  natural  topography  in  designing  the  outdoor 
theater.  However,  very  good  results  can  be  se- 
cured even  on  perfectly  flat  ground.  In  such  cases 
some  grading  may  be  required,  especially  for  the 

46 


GARDEN'    THEATER    UN'DER    CONSTRUCTION" 

Desir/nfd  by  Jens  Jensen 


Outdoor  Theaters 


auditorium,  though  a  sloping  auditorium  is  not  ab- 
solutely necessary,  especially  in  a  small  theater. 
The  stage  will  need  to  be  raised  to  some  extent  even 
in  small  theaters.  This  may  be  accomplished  by 
grading  or  by  building  a  stage. 

Seats 

At  the  present  time  there  seems  to  be  a  violent 
whim  in  possession  of  the  American  mind  to  the 
effect  that  an  outdoor  auditorium  must  have  cement 
seats.  Everywhere  ambitious  owners  of  outdoor 
theaters  are  trying  to  find  their  way  to  permanent 
cement  benches  for  the  accommodation  of  audi- 
ences. Yet  it  seems  certain  that  cement  is  the 
worst  material  ever  discovered  for  this  purpose.  It 
certainly  is  the  worst  from  the  point  of  comfort, 
being  the  last  thing  any  sane  visitor  could  wish  to 
sit  upon;  and  it  is  equally  bad  from  the  artistic 
standpoint.  Nothing  could  be  less  harmonious 
with  the  landscape,  less  pastoral,  less  sylvan,  than 
rigid  cement  seats. 

The  beautiful  outdoor  theaters  of  the  old  Italian 


47 


Outdoor  Theaters 


OUTDOOR  THEATER,  WARSAW 


48 


Outdoor  Theaters 


villas  mostly  depended  upon  grassy  terraces  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  audiences.  Such  a  ter- 
race, which  can  be  kept  sufficiently  dry,  is  perhaps 
the  ideal  seating  arrangement  for  the  audience  in 
an  outdoor  theater.  Even  if  the  grass  is  not  very 
good,  the  banks  will  still  serve.  They  may  be  cov- 
ered with  mats  of  one  kind  and  another  which  would 
make  them  entirely  acceptable  under  most  circum- 
stances. 

Indeed  the  development  of  such  comfortable 
home-made  seating  facilities  becomes  a  very  inter- 
esting problem  in  artistic  design.  In  case  of  an  out- 
door theater,  for  example,  surrounded  by  pine  trees, 
it  would  be  an  artistic  touch  to  cover  the  terrace 
seats  with  dry  pine  leaves.  This  would  be  entirely 
satisfactory  also  from  the  standpoint  of  comfort. 
In  other  cases  mats  could  be  provided  woven  from 
corn  husks,  rushes,  sweet  grass,  or  other  native  ma- 
terials. Such  mats  of  course  could  be  taken  in  be- 
tween performances  and  brought  out  again  on 
occasion. 

Probably  the  most  generally  satisfactory  provi- 
sion, however,  for  seating  an  audience  will  consist 


Outdoor  Theaters 


of  wooden  seats.  These  should  be  made  of  rough 
sawed  lumber,  not  dressed.  In  some  cases  it  will 
be  possible  to  leave  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
bark  on  timbers  sawed  for  this  purpose.  Thus  logs 
could  be  split  in  half,  turned  with  the  flat  side  up, 
leaving  the  bark  on,  and  thus  securing  a  first  rate 
rustic  effect.  In  any  circumstances  the  seats  should 
be  very  simply  designed,  always  substantial,  and 
never  seeking  an  ornamental  effect.  The  sawed 
surfaces  should  be  stained  with  gray  or  brown  neu- 
tral stains.  In  some  cases  a  dull  green  could  be 
used,  harmonizing  with  the  surrounding  foliage ;  in 
other  cases  a  brown  could  be  used  harmonizing  with 
the  bark  of  standing  trees. 

The  Stage 

The  size  of  the  stage  would  depend  somewhat 
upon  the  character  of  performances  to  be  accommo- 
dated ;  but  as  it  is  our  present  view  that  pageantry 
should  be  provided  for  in  special  large  theaters 
quite  different  from  those  now  under  construction, 
and  that  the  small  theater  should  confine  itself  to 


50 


Outdoor  Theaters 


very  simple  performances,  we  need  not  provide  a 
very  extensive  stage.  Very  roughly  stated,  we  may 
say  that  a  space  15  x  30  feet  will  be  suitable  for 
most  small  outdoor  theaters. 

This  space  should,  of  course,  be  level,  and  pref- 
erably should  be  grassed.  Where  grass  cannot  be 
grown,  a  smooth  earth  surface  will  be  best.  This 
may  be  strewn  with  pine  leaves  or  some  similar 
local  material  chosen  with  care  and  taste.  In  some 
cases  a  platform  built  of  lumber  may  seem  desir- 
able, though  such  an  artificial  structure  should  not 
be  introduced  unless  entirely  necessary.  In  more 
elaborately  designed  theaters  a  stage  platform  may 
be  made  of  brick  work.  But  under  no  circum- 
stances should  the  stage  treatment  be  gaudy  or 
conspicuous. 

The  stage  should  present  a  definite  background. 
In  general  this  should  be  of  a  somewhat  monot- 
onous neutral  and  inconspicuous  character.  We 
should  understand  that  this  is  a  background  and 
not  a  part  of  the  performance.  It  should  not  attract 
our  attention  from  singers  or  actors  in  any  case. 

Furthermore  this  background  should  complete 


51 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Mil 

•I 

fin 


l 


It 

o  ' 

If 


52 


Outdoor  Theaters 


the  view.  There  should  not  be  openings  through  it 
where  the  eye  can  wander  to  interesting  scenes 
beyond  the  stage.  It  is  very  important  that  this 
stage  arrangement  should  be  such  as  to  assist  those 
in  the  audience  in  concentrating  their  thought  and 
attention  upon  the  performance  instead  of  diffusing 
it  to  other  things.  This  principle  is  frequently  dis- 
regarded in  the  design  of  outdoor  theaters.  It  is 
very  often  assumed  that  the  audience  will  be 
pleased  with  a  fine  development  of  landscape,  for 
example  a  splendid  outlook  which  they  may  see 
from  their  seats  in  the  auditorium.  An  outdoor 
theater,  however,  is  not  primarily  a  place  for  view- 
ing the  landscape.  If  there  are  splendid  landscape 
views  to  be  revealed  they  should  be  shown  from 
vantage  points  outside  the  theater,  perhaps  from 
the  lobby.  But  when  the  audience  has  finally  taken 
seats  in  the  theater  itself  and  the  performers  are 
ready  to  begin,  there  should  be  no  competition  of 
interests  with  what  is  going  on  on  the  stage. 

The  stage  should  also  be  provided  with  wings 
such  as  will  assist  actors  in  moving  into  and  out 
of  the  scene,  and  there  should  be  suitable  provisions 


53 


Outdoor  Theaters 


of  privacy  for  dressing  rooms  back  of  the  stage. 
Costuming  is  of  great  importance  in  many  of  the 
spectacles  to  be  presented  in  the  outdoor  theater, 
and  this,  of  course,  requires  suitable  dressing-room 
facilities. 

The  Foyer 

Any  theatrical  performance  should  be  more  or 
less  of  a  social  function.  Friends  should  meet 
friends  at  the  theater  and  should  have  an  opportu- 
nity for  greeting  and  conversation.  In  the  best 
playhouses  of  the  old  world  this  is  rather  fully  pro- 
vided for  in  attractive  foyers  and  the  performance 
is  arranged  with  long  intermissions  permitting 
pleasant  social  intercourse  in  them.  Unfortunately 
this  custom  is  not  so  well  developed  in  America. 
Whatever  may  be  the  situation  regarding  dramatic 
or  musical  performances  in  ordinary  theaters,  cer- 
tainly the  outdoor  theater  should  do  better.  At- 
tendance upon  an  outdoor  performance  ought  to 
be  distinctly  more  of  a  friendly  social  function  than 
attendance  upon  a  paid  performance  in  a  Broad- 
way playhouse.  Every  one  must  recognize  at  once 

54 


Outdoor  Theaters 


the  superior  social  advantages  of  the  outdoor  the- 
ater. Provision  should  always  be  made,  therefore, 
for  social  greeting  and  friendly  circulation  of  the 
entire  audience.  This  can  best  be  provided  for  by 
one  or  two  definite  foyers  or  promenades  directly 
in  connection  with  the  theater  plan.  They  would 
naturally,  however,  be  placed  outside  the  regular 
auditorium  space,  and  may  be  nicely  developed  in 
connection  with  hedges,  screens,  or  similar  features 
of  the  theater.  The  trained  landscape  architect  will 
need  nothing  more  than  a  suggestion  of  this  sort 
in  order  to  develop  the  idea  under  whatever  circum- 
stances may  be  presented  in  specific  problems. 

The  Proscenium 

In  the  outdoor  theater  there  is,  strictly  speaking, 
no  proscenium,  but  while  the  picture  is  not  so  defi- 
nitely confined  by  a  hard  and  fast  outline,  there 
should  be  an  even  more  graphic  and  effective  pic- 
ture presented  to  the  eye.  The  outdoor  theater 
stage  should  be  quite  superior  in  its  pictorial  effect. 
As  we  have  already  suggested,  this  should  not  be 


55 


Outdoor  Theaters 


assertive  and  gaudy  so  as  to  compete  with  the  per- 
formance on  the  stage.  We  have  also  already  sug- 
gested the  technical  requirement  that  the  stage  pic- 
tures should  be  closed  and  never  left  open  to  dis- 
tracting vistas.  Whether  it  should  be  definitely 
formalized  or  not  must  rest  with  the  taste  of  each 
designer.  Undoubtedly  some  outdoor  theaters 
should  be  rather  distinctly  formal.  Others  should 
be  distinctly  informal.  Whenever  a  more  or  less 
formal  type  of  design  is  adopted  it  should  be  some- 
what emphasized  in  the  treatment  of  the  stage. 

In  dealing  with  the  stage  picture  we  come  natu- 
rally to  the  idea  of  movable  scenery.  We  are  so 
accustomed  to  having  drop  curtains,  painted  scenes 
and  movable  stage  effects  in  our  indoor  theaters  that 
it  is  hard  to  do  without  them  in  the  outdoor  theaters. 
In  general  it  may  be  said  that  such  effects  should 
be  very  greatly  minimized  on  our  outdoor  stages, 
and  that  wherever  possible  they  should  be  entirely 
abandoned.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  to  have  mova- 
ble backgrounds,  and  even  some  stage  scenery  on 
an  outdoor  stage,  but  everything  of  this  kind  should 
be  undertaken  with  the  utmost  caution. 


56 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Perhaps  the  best  that  could  be  done  with  movable 
backgrounds  would  be  to  present  different  color 
schemes  or  tone  pictures.  Thus  one  performance 


Ji 


,  «^^ 
fe&$-=      •  rfc& 

Seaf,>,       C*    act-      ^CO  ^        J"^\ 

SUGGESTIVE  DESIGN  BY  Miss  S.  JOSEPHINE  STRANGE 

might  require  a  bright  cheerful  color  scheme,  while 
another  might  prosper  better  with  a  dull  somber 
background.  Movable  lattice-work  screens  into 
which  can  be  woven  cut  foliage,  or  even  cut  flowers, 


57 


Outdoor  Theaters 


would  make  changes  of  this  kind  practicable.  In 
all  cases,  however,  it  is  better  to  be  extremely  cau- 
tious and  to  remember  that  simplicity  is  the  ideal 
of  all  art,  and  especially  of  the  garden  theater. 

In  a  few  instances  designers  of  garden  theaters 
have  felt  compelled  to  supply  a  curtain  for  the 
stage.  This  is  plainly  an  exceedingly  difficult  prob- 
lem, and  no  solution  for  it  which  I  have  yet  seen 
or  heard  of  can  be  regarded  as  artistically  success- 
ful. The  makeshift  is  too  obvious.  It  will  be  bet- 
ter, in  most  cases  certainly,  to  be  quite  frank  with 
the  audience  and  omit  the  curtain. 

Furnishings 

Aside  from  what  has  already  been  spoken  of, 
the  outdoor  theater  does  not  need  many  furnish- 
ings. Some  very  simple  vase  forms  or  painted  col- 
umns may  be  desirable  in  setting  off  the  stage,  or 
in  marking  the  entrances  and  exits.  The  old 
Italian  theaters  nearly  always  introduced  marble 
statuary.  Such  furnishings,  however,  do  not  seem 
especially  suited  to  American  outdoor  theaters, 


58 


Outdoor  Theaters 


both  because  we  are  unaccustomed  to  them,  and 
because  we  do  not  have  good  material  available. 
A  rather  frequent  technical  device  has  been  the 


Peef 
THE  GARDEN  THEATER,  SEGARDI,  NEAR  SIENA 

59 


Outdoor  Theaters 


insertion  of  a  pool  or  strip  of  water  in  front  of 
the  stage.  This  may  have  a  very  attractive  effect 
in  some  cases,  especially  when  the  stage  is  lighted 
with  flambeaux,  so  that  the  stage  lights  are  reflected 
in  the  pool  for  the  audience.  In  general,  however, 
such  a  pool  serves  to  mark  a  separation  between 
the  audience  and  the  performers,  and  for  this 
reason  is  undesirable  in  small  intimate  garden 
theaters. 

In  this  connection,  while  we  are  speaking  of  fur- 
nishings, it  may  be  worth  while  to  say  a  word  in 
favor  of  attractive  entrance  gateways.  A  garden 
theater  should  have  a  garden  gate  or  entrance,  and 
any  designer  will  find  ample  play  for  his  imagina- 
tion at  this  point.  While  elaborate  distracting  or- 
namental effects  within  the  theater  are  undesirable, 
the  gateway  might  properly  have  a  much  more 
florid  treatment. 

Lighting 

Evening  use  of  the  garden  theater  of  course  in- 
volves some  method  of  lighting.  The  universal 
temptation  is  to  run  in  a  wire  and  use  electricity. 


60 


TWO    VIEWS    OF    A    PAGEANT    IX    THE    YALE    BOWL 


Outdoor  Theaters 


The  inartistic  decorator  may  even  try  to  get  "or- 
namental effects"  in  electric  lighting. 

The  electric  light  however  is  so  clearly  artificial 
and  so  suggestive  of  the  indoor  world  as  to  be  dis- 
tinctly inappropriate  to  the  sylvan  theater.  In 
some  cases,  to  be  sure,  it  may  seem  to  be  the  best 
that  can  be  found,  when  certainly  it  should  be  made 
as  inconspicuous  as  possible.  If  a  wholly  indirect 
system  of  lighting  is  employed,  no  electric  bulbs 
or  arcs  being  visible  anywhere,  the  results  need  not 
be  objectionable. 

An  open  burning  light  is  obviously  the  most 
natural  kind  of  illumination.  The  simplest  sort 
of  torches  would  give  the  best  artistic  effect. 

In  this  connection  there  is  to  be  noted,  quite 
parenthetically,  the  symbolism  of  the  naked  fire, 
as  of  water,  both  features  being  artistically  very 
effective  at  the  proper  points. 

Flambeaux  of  various  kinds  are  appropriate  to 
the  outdoor  theater.  Gas  flambeaux  can  be  advan- 
tageously used  in  some  cases.  In  other  places  it 
will  be  proper  to  employ  kerosene  flambeaux  some- 
what after  the  type  formerly  used  by  all  political 


61 


Outdoor  Theaters 


clubs  in  presidential  campaigns. 

It  hardly  needs  to  be  said  that  in  any  case  where 
open  lights  are  used,  they  must  be  placed  first  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  light  the  stage,  and  second  in 
such  positions  as  to  form  an  effective  feature  in  the 
theater  design.  Open  lights  will  always  be  very 
conspicuous. 

Acoustics 

In  all  theater  plans  a  great  deal  of  attention  is 
paid  to  acoustics.  Nevertheless  this  is  understood 
to  be  something  of  a  gamble,  even  amongst  the  best 
architects.  Outdoor  theaters  differ  considerably 
with  regard  to  acoustic  properties,  but  in  general 
it  is  surprisingly  easy  in  any  of  them  to  hear  what 
is  said  or  sung  on  the  stage.  For  the  present  it 
does  not  seem  possible  to  give  any  rules  for  insur- 
ing acoustic  success.  If  we  follow  the  principles 
herein  laid  down  and  endeavor  to  make  every  gar- 
den theater  as  small  and  intimate  as  possible,  we 
shall  never  be  seriously  troubled  with  the  problem 
of  hearing  the  words  of  the  performers. 


Ill 


SELECTED  EXAMPLES 


"BANKSIDE" 

THE  college  campus  seems  to  be  the  natural 
habitat  of  the  outdoor  theater.     Probably 
more  good  outdoor  theaters  have  been  built 
for  colleges  than  for  any  other  surroundings,  and 
probably  the  college  theaters  are  more  used  than 
most  others.     Certainly  one  of  the  best  examples 
of  the  college  theater  out-of-doors  is  "Bankside" 
at  the   University  of  North   Dakota   at   Grand 
Forks. 

One  reason  why  this  enterprise  has  been  so  suc- 
cessful is  that  it  started  from  the  proper  end,  that 
is  from  the  standpoint  of  the  playwright  and  play 
producer.  In  too  many  cases  an  outdoor  theater 
has  first  been  built,  after  which  the  neighbors  have 
looked  about  wistfully  to  see  what  kind  of  perform- 
ance could  be  raked  up  for  presentation  in  the 
pretty  auditorium  which  they  had  provided.  In 
the  University  of  North  Dakota,  however,  Pro- 
fessor Frederick  H.  Koch  has  from  the  first  spe- 


65 


Outdoor  Theaters 


cialized  upon  drama.  Moreover,  instead  of  pay- 
ing attention  chiefly  to  the  historical  development 
of  the  drama  or  to  studies  of  the  masters  long  since 
dead,  he  has  endeavored  to  build  up  a  modern, 
vital,  dramatic  feeling  and  expression  amongst  his 
pupils.  He  has  endeavored  to  teach  the  technic 
of  acting.  Instead  of  devoting  his  time  chiefly  to 
library  study  he  has  tried  to  build  up  a  working 
laboratory  of  modern  drama. 

In  order  to  carry  out  any  such  splendid  plans 
as  these  it  has  been  necessary  of  course  to  have 
some  sort  of  auditorium  in  which  the  acting  could 
be  done.  Some  very  interesting  experiments  with 
indoor  theaters  he  made,  which,  however,  need  not 
concern  us  now.  Our  interest  centers  upon  the  dis- 
covery and  the  development  of  "Bankside."  In  the 
turn  of  a  small  coulee  the  concave  side  supplied 
a  desirable  position  for  a  stage  with  the  usual 
advantageous  slope  for  an  auditorium  on  the  con- 
vex side.  A  desirable  background  was  supplied  to 
the  stage  by  plantings  of  small  trees  and  shrubbery. 

This  arrangement  of  an  outdoor  theater  in  which 
the  stage  is  separated  from  the  auditorium  by  a 


FIRST     PROFESSIONAL     PERFORMANCE 
UNIVERSITY    OF    NORTH    DAKOTA 


THE     BANKSIDE     THEATER, 


Outdoor  Theaters 


strip  of  water  has  been  used  several  times  else- 
where, as  in  the  famous  theater  at  Warsaw,  and 
most  notably  on  the  pageant  grounds  of  the  great 
pageant  held  in  St.  Louis  in  1913.  Pictorially  such 
an  arrangement  is  always  effective,  especially  at 
night  when  the  lights  of  the  stage  are  reflected  in 
the  water.  The  acoustic  properties  seem  to  be  all 
that  could  be  desired,  at  least  when  the  strip  of 
water  is  not  too  wide. 

The  main  objection  to  an  arrangement  of  this 
sort  comes  from  the  artistic  side  of  the  drama  itself 
and  lies  in  the  separation  of  the  audience  from  the 
actors.  In  practically  all  dramatic  performances 
it  is  a  fundamental  effort  on  the  part  of  the  actors 
to  identify  themselves  as  closely  as  possible  with 
the  audience, — to  come  into  the  most  intimate  pos- 
sible terms  with  them.  The  obvious  physical  sepa- 
ration of  the  two  parties  engenders  a  certain  psy- 
chological separation  which  operates  as  a  more  or 
less  serious  handicap  upon  the  actor. 

This  theater  having  been  conspicuously  success- 
ful, many  suggestions  for  its  improvement  have 
been  made.  One  of  the  most  frequent  and  cer- 


67 


Outdoor  Theaters 


tainly  one  of  the  most  questionable  improvements 
suggested  has  been  an  amphitheater  of  cement 
seats.  Up  to  the  present  time  no  permanent  seat- 
ing arrangements  have  been  provided,  but  we  may 
certainly  hope  that  something  better  than  cement 
will  eventually  be  found. 

This  theater  has  been  very  successfully  used  by 
the  Coburn  Players  and  in  several  performances 
of  local  talent.  As  already  stated  its  prime  impor- 
tance lies  in  its  availability  as  a  laboratory  for 
Professor  Koch's  work  in  dramatic  writing  and 
production. 


68 


"GARDEN  TERRACE  THEATER" 

AT  Yankton  College,  Yankton,  S.  Dak.,  is 
an  outdoor  theater  of  unusually  pleasing 
design.    It  is  built  in  a  grove  of  small  trees 
on  perfectly  level  land.    It  is  outlined  in  the  form 
of  a  simple  parallelogram,  bounded  on  the  sides  by 
low  hedges,  at  the  back  by  an  architectural  terrace, 
and  on  the  front  by  the  terraced  and  balustraded 
stage.     The  plan  given  herewith   (page  70)   and 
the  photographs  give  a  very  good  idea  of  the 
whole. 

The  design  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Phelps  Wy- 
man,  landscape  architect,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
in  consultation  with  an  architect.  It  was  con- 
structed by  private  initiative.  Although  it  is  built 
upon  the  College  grounds  and  is  used  primarily  by 
the  College,  four  members  of  the  faculty  joined 
with  three  business  men  of  the  town  to  finance  the 
construction.  The  work  cost  $4,500,  and  though 
this  was  more  than  expected,  it  would  seem  to  be 


69 


Outdoor  Theaters 


a  small  price  to  pay  for  so  fine  an  auditorium.  Oc- 
casional paid  performances  have  helped  to  pay  off 
the  initial  cost,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  theater 
will  soon  be  free  of  debt. 


xr=r.-^  loo 
ELIZABETHAN  THEATER,  YANKTON  COLLEGE 


This  enterprise  has  been  made  successful  largely 
through  the  work  of  Professor  George  H.  Durand, 
vice-president  of  the  College.  Professor  Durand's 
own  account  of  the  results  is  so  interesting  that  I 
venture  to  quote  from  his  letters.  He  says: 


70 


THE     GARDEN*  TERRACE  THEATER 

"MERCHANT  OF  VENICE"  AND  "AS  YOU  LIKE  IT' 


Outdoor  Theaters 


"We  had  to  depend  on  income  from  the  theater 
to  gradually  pay  off  the  debt.  The  first  season  we 
had  bad  luck  with  weather,  but  made  about  enough 
on  one  main  performance,  the  Shakespeare  Play  at 
Commencement,  to  pay  the  interest.  The  second 
season,  just  past,  we  had  the  Shakespeare  Play, 
one  performance,  and  the  Pageant  of  Yankton, 
three  performances,  and  netted  on  the  four  about 
$900,  which  paid  up  our  interest  and  reduced  the 
principal.  We  now  feel  very  confident  of  the  en- 
terprise financially. 

"We  aim  to  give  only  high  class  things.  Such 
an  attraction  as  the  Coburn  Players,  which  we  had 
last  June  with  good  weather  and  everything  favor- 
able, did  not  yield  us  any  profit,  but  it  made  a 
delightful  performance.  Mr.  Coburn  thinks  the 
Garden  Terrace  Theater  is  the  most  beautiful  and 
practicable  open-air  theater  in  the  country.  But 
we  perceive  that  we  must  look  to  our  home  talent 
and  community  affairs  to  yield  us  the  needful 
profits. 

"Our  Shakespeare  Play  is  a  thoroughly  estab- 
lished annual  event  and  the  public  expects  and 


71 


Outdoor  Theaters 


always  gets  a  fine  production.  Our  people  also 
are  enthusiastic  over  pageants,  and  we  shall  give 
more  of  them  in  the  future.  The  pageant,  with 
leadership  from  among  the  faculty,  gathers  in  the 
forces  of  the  community  generally,  and  we  think 
is  a  splendid  thing  in  every  way. 

"We  expect  to  use  the  Garden  Terrace  Theater 
now  and  then  for  some  free  community  entertain- 
ment. For  instance,  I  am  now  proposing  to  our 
public  schools  an  exhibition  of  folk  dancing  as 
taught  in  our  schools,  to  be  given  along  in  May 
or  June. 

"We  have  not  yet  used  the  Garden  Terrace  The- 
ater for  a  regular  musical  performance,  although 
we  have  had  orchestra  accompaniment  for  some  of 
our  plays  and  the  pageant.  We  had  a  concert 
scheduled  last  year  by  the  United  States  Marine 
Band,  but  on  account  of  bad  weather  had  to  hold 
it  indoors.  We  intended  from  the  beginning  to 
use  the  Garden  Terrace  Theater  for  musical  enter- 
tainments, and  shall  certainly  do  so  as  we  have 
opportunity. 

"The  acoustic  properties  of  the  Garden  Terrace 


72 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Theater  are  a  surprise  to  every  one.  At  the  ex- 
treme rear,  180  feet  from  the  stage,  an  ordinary 
stage  or  platform  voice  is  perfectly  clear  and  satis- 
factory. I  think  a  victrola  could  be  heard  well 
from  any  part  of  the  auditorium. 

"I  understand  that  this  matter  of  open-air  acous- 
tics is  in  an  experimental  stage  as  yet.  Before  we 
adopted  our  design  we  had  the  advice  of  Professor 
Sargent  of  Harvard,  who  was  recommended  to  me 
by  Professor  George  P.  Baker  as  being  tHe  chief 
authority  on  the  subject  and  able  to  chase  a  sound 
wave  around  among  the  trees  with  considerable 
certainty.  Professor  Sargent  believed  that  our 
plan  would  give  excellent  acoustic  results.  His 
explanation  was  that  the  rear  wall,  together  with 
the  trees  back  of  it,  and  especially  their  overarching 
form,  would  have  the  right  effect  in  throwing  the 
sound  just  where  it  was  wanted.  This  effect  would 
be  improved,  he  said,  with  the  growth  and  over- 
arching of  the  younger  trees  encircling  the  audi- 
torium. 

"As  to  orientation,  I  judge  that  most  open-air 
theaters  are  located  and  oriented  according  to  topo- 


78 


Outdoor  Theaters 


graphical  and  other  conditions  which  must  often 
over-rule  the  question  of  sun  for  afternoon  per- 
formances. With  us  nearly  all  performances  will 
be  in  the  evening,  the  effects  to  be  gained  at  night 
by  artificial  lighting  being  so  exceedingly  beauti- 
ful. One  performance  of  our  pageant  was  in  the 
afternoon  of  a  cloudless  day  in  June,  but  no  one 
felt  discomfort  of  the  sun.  By  our  orientation  of 
audience  facing  west  we  secured  the  background  of 
trees  which  makes  so  beautiful  a  scene,  and  also  the 
acoustic  qualities  I  have  indicated." 


POMONA  COLLEGE  THEATER 

THEY  call  it  a  "Greek"  theater  at  Pomona, 
and  look  forward  to  an  elaborate  architec- 
tural   development    at    some    time    in    the 
future.     Meanwhile   they   actually  have   a   most 
charming  Californian  auditorium — a  native  wine 
which  needs  no  classic  bush — and  one  is  forced 
to  wonder  whether  the  present  simplicity  is  not 
after  all  better  suited  to  the  century  and  the  coun- 
try than  any  intricate  and  diverting  scheme  of 
architecture  which  might  be  built. 

This  theater  had  the  happy  fortune  to  grow 
up  with  the  College.  It  came  because  there  was 
a  real  demand  for  it  in  the  college  life.  Develop- 
ing thus  in  response  to  a  clearly  understood  pur- 
pose, the  theater  had  a  meaning  from  the  first. 
Such  a  genesis  is  always  to  be  preferred.  In  too 
many  instances  the  theater  has  been  built  first  and 
the  demand  for  its  use  created  afterward.  Some 
account  of  the  development  of  this  theater  idea  at 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Pomona  is  given  by  Professor  C.  B.  Sumner  in  his 
"Story  of  Pomona  College,"  from  which  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  are  taken : 

"The  idea  of  a  Greek  theater  has  been  a  growth, 
the  natural  outcome  of  prevailing  conditions.  In 
the  earliest  years  the  graduating  classes  had  some 
kind  of  fun-producing  entertainment  on  Tuesday 
afternoon  of  Commencement  week,  out  in  the 
'Wash.'  Later  this  gave  place  to  an  evening  en- 
tertainment more  or  less  informal.  For  a  few  years 
each  graduating  class  gave  a  play  with  local  color- 
ing. At  present  the  'Wash  Program'  takes  the 
form  of  a  play  written  by  one  or  more  members  of 
the  class.  These  gatherings  continued  to  be  on 
the  Mesa,  were  free  to  all,  and  became  universally 
popular,  drawing  thousands  of  spectators.  At 
length  the  increasing  size  of  the  audience  made  it 
necessary  to  seat  them  upon  the  sloping  side  of 
the  Mesa  instead  of  upon  the  top.  After  a  while 
it  became  difficult  to  arrange  seats  even  there,  so 
that  all  could  see  and  hear.  Thus  arose  the  sug- 
gestion of  an  out-of-door  auditorium,  a  place  where 
not  only  this  entertainment  but  many  other  large 

76 


SCENES     PRESENTED     ON     THE     STAGE     OF    THE     COLLEGE     THEATER,    POMONA 
COLLEGE,     CALIFORNIA 


Outdoor  Theaters 


gatherings  during  the  year  might  be  held.    Hardly 
had  the  alumni  completed  the  athletic  field  when 


GLLLR.   TltLATlll 
POMOIA  COLL  cat -CL  ALEMOIT  CALIF. 


they  began  to  talk  and  plan  for  such  an  auditorium. 
The  class  of  1910  took  up  the  matter  seriously,  and 


77 


Outdoor  Theaters 


subscribed  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  with  which 
to  start  the  enterprise  by  securing  an  architect  and 
building  the  stage.  Mr.  Myron  Hunt  undertook 
to  make  the  plans.  He  studied  the  style  of  archi- 
tecture, visited  the  Greek  theater  at  the  University 
of  California,  and  finally  presented  plans  which 
were  adopted.  They  contemplate  a  very  extensive 
and  beautiful  structure  to  include,  when  completed, 
spacious  reception  rooms;  a  very  large  stage  with 
all  needed  dressing  and  retiring  rooms,  and  ar- 
ranged with  a  background  of  live  oak  trees;  an 
auditorium  adapted  to  small  audiences  of  a  few 
hundred  and  to  audiences  of  four  or  five  thousand, 
with  every  convenience ;  the  whole  to  be  ultimately 
embellished  with  stately  columns,  colonnades,  cor- 
nices, and  various  ornamentation  producing  a  rich 
and  imposing  effect. 

"The  location  has  been  so  selected  that  hardly  a, 
tree  has  been  injured,  and  at  the  same  time  advan- 
tage has  been  taken  of  some  fine  trees  at  the  rear 
of  the  stage,  happily  situated  for  scenic  effect  and 
for  shade.  Tall-growing  eucalyptus  trees  are  be- 
ing set  out  to  afford  full  shade  in  due  time.  The 


78 


Outdoor  Theaters 


plan  embraces  entrances  through  tunnels  from  the 
College  side  on  the  west,  while  the  main  entrances 
are  to  be  on  the  front,  at  the  northeast  and  south- 
east corners.  The  front  when  finished  is  to  be  quite 
elaborate,  reserving  the  trees  for  a  background. 
Ornamental  grounds  for  parking  automobiles  have 
been  arranged." 


79 


GREEK   THEATER  AT   THE   UNIVER- 
SITY  OF    CALIFORNIA 

UNQUESTIONABLY  the  most  famous 
outdoor  theater  in  the  United  States  is  the 
one  at  the  University  of  California,  Berke- 
ley. So  much  has  been  published  with  respect  to 
this  particular  enterprise  that  no  extended  account 
of  it  could  be  justified  here.  The  plan  and  sec- 
tion on  page  81  are  from  a  measured  drawing 
made  by  my  friend  and  former  pupil,  Professor 
J.  W.  Gregg,  of  the  University  of  California. 
The  following  account  of  the  theater  itself  is 
slightly  condensed  from  a  statement  by  Mr.  V.  H. 
Henderson :  * 

At  the  University  of  California  the  graduating 
class  year  after  year  gave  its  Class  Day  extrava- 
ganza in  a  natural  amphitheater  among  the  hills, 
the  thousands  of  spectators  sitting  on  the  rising 

*  From  the  Outlook  of  August,  1904,  with  the  permission 
of  the  editors. 


80 


Outdoor  Theaters 


slopes  under  the  shadow  of  great  eucalyptus  and 
cypress  trees.  Then  came  the  thought,  made  act 
by  Mr.  William  R.  Hearst's  generosity,  of  build- 


Of  CAUf OE./S  lA 


81 


Outdoor  Theaters 


ing  a  theater  such  as  that  at  Epidaurus,  open  to 
a  sky  blue  like  that  of  Greece,  leaning  against  lofty 
hills,  and  hospitable  for  play  or  music  or  festival 
day  throughout  a  constant  year  that  knows  no 
winter. 

The  Greek  theater  at  Berkeley  has  become  a 
place  of  pilgrimage.  Not  less  than  ten  thousand 
people  go  up  across  the  campus  and  through  the 
encalyptus  grove  during  every  week  to  delight  their 
eyes  with  its  classic  dignity  and  restful  charm. 
And  to  see  it  once  is  to  come  again  and  again,  to 
enjoy  it  with  ever  fresh  delight,  as  one  would  a 
painting  or  a  statue  or  a  song.  Every  Sunday 
afternoon  at  five  the  students  make  music  there 
for  half  an  hour — the  glee  club,  the  orchestra,  the 
band,  the  choral  society,  or  some  other  under- 
graduate musical  organization — and  four  or  five 
thousand  people  listen  to  this  music — music  as  free 
to  all  who  choose  to  come  as  the  singing  of  birds 
or  the  sound  of  the  wind  in  the  trees  with  which 
it  is  intermingled.  There,  sometimes,  the  students 
give  plays — "The  Birds"  of  Aristophanes  in  Greek, 
Racine's  "Phedre"  in  French,  the  Class  Day  play 

82 


Outdoor  Theaters 


of  their  own  making;  there  Ben  Greet's  players 
presented  "Twelfth  Night,"  there  concerts  are 
given,  there  President  Roosevelt  delivered  the 
Commencement  address,  there  the  students  build 
bonfires  and  set  off  fireworks  and  hold  rallies  by 
night  and  by  day  in  celebration  of  athletic  vic- 
tories. Eight  thousand  people  can  sit  there  to- 
gether, and  each  one  feels  that  he  has  chanced  upon 
the  best  seat  of  all,  for  the  Greek  type  of  theater 
is  ideal  for  seeing  and  for  hearing,  and  it  brings 
an  audience  into  unity  and  into  enjoyment  of  its 
own  self  as  an  audience  and  as  a  spectacle  as  can 
no  other  form  of  assemblage-place. 

Free  design  marked  the  work  of  John  Galen 
Howard,  the  Supervising  Architect  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  in  the  imagining  of  the  the- 
ater and  in  its  wedding  to  the  surrounding  hills 
and  groves;  but  there  is  archaeological  warrant  for 
its  every  detail,  from  the  different  pitch  of  the  inner 
and  outer  circles  of  tiers,  suggested  by  the  theater 
at  Epidaurus,  to  the  rain-gutters  about  the  orches- 
tra, which  drain  like  those  at  Corinth. 

The  theater  itself  consists  of  two  series  of  semi- 


83 


Outdoor  Theaters 


circular  tiers,  rising  first  at  a  gentle  angle,  and 
then,  after  an  intervening  aisle  and  low  wall,  by 
a  bolder  slope.  From  the  highest  tier  one  steps 
out  upon  the  natural  hillside.  The  nineteen  tiers, 
of  the  outer  portion,  each  eighteen  inches  high,  are 
both  step  and  seat.  The  arc  of  the  outer  semi- 
circle measures  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

The  stage  is  tangent  to  the  circular  open  orches- 
tra about  which  the  tiers  are  disposed,  and  stands 
five  feet  and  a  half  above  it.  It  is  a  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  length,  twenty-eight  feet  deep,  and 
backed  by  a  massive  wall  forty-two  feet  in  height. 
This  noble  wall,  enriched  with  sixteen  columns  and 
with  stylobate  and  entablature  in  full  Doric  de- 
tail, represents  a  palace  or  temple  front.  It  is 
pierced  by  a  great  central  doorway,  flanked  by 
smaller  openings,  and  with  a  portal  as  well  in  each 
of  the  return  walls.  The  theater  is  built  of  con- 
crete, the  stage  wall  being  finished  by  hand  in  Port- 
land cement. 

The  theater  has  proved  of  a  great  practical  use- 
fulness as  a  place  of  assemblage  for  the  University. 


84 


VASSAR  COLLEGE 

ONE  of  the  latest  and  best  college  theaters 
is  that  at  Vassar,  designed  by  Mr.  Loring 
Underwood,  landscape  architect,  of  Bos- 
ton. The  plan  (page  86)  and  pictures  of  this  fine 
auditorium  will  repay  careful  study.  The  follow- 
ing description  of  the  work  is  supplied  by  the  land- 
scape architect's  office. 

The  theater  was  built  at  one  end  of  the  campus, 
and  under  the  present  arrangements  will  seat 
thirty-five  hundred  people.  It  was  built  because 
the  College  needed  a  place  for  pageants  and  out- 
door entertainments,  and  also  for  commencement 
exercises.  The  rostrum  is  large  enough  to  stage 
the  small  plays  given  by  the  Dramatic  Club;  at 
such  times  the  stage  is  used  for  the  audience. 

Roughly,  the  theater  is  a  large  bowl  cut  into 
the  hillside  and  tipped  toward  the  new  lake;  it 
has  for  a  background  a  planting  of  large  spruce 
trees.  The  rostrum  is  close  against  the  trees  and 


85 


Outdoor  Theaters 


OUTDOOR 

VA55AC- COLLE.CE1  POUGHKEE1P5]E,NY 


LorCng  Undtrwood—  Lo«daca 


/     f          '•    '•     'j   ' 

f¥  131  \  \ 


fvf 


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I 

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PL.AN 


86 


TWO    VIEWS    OF    THE    STAGE    OF    THE    VASSAR    COLLEGE    THEATER 

Designed  by  Loving  Underwood. 
Photographs  copyright  by  Edmund  L.  Wolven 


Outdoor  Theaters 


about  one  and  one-half  feet  higher  than  the  stage, 
which  extends  to  the  front  and  sides  of  the  ros- 
trum. The  stage  and  orchestra  pit  are  separated 
from  the  main  part  of  the  theater  by  a  circular 
hemlock  hedge  four  feet  high,  which  screens  the 
directors  of  the  performances  and  the  musicians 
from  the  audience. 

The  audience  is  seated  on  portable  folding 
chairs,  which  have  the  back  legs  cut  off  so  that 
they  will  fit  the  slope.  These  chairs  are  placed  in 
rows  in  the  seating  area  shown  on  the  plan.  These 
chairs  are  stored  in  a  nearby  building,  so,  when 
the  theater  is  not  in  use,  it  gives  the  appearance  of 
a  natural  dished  hillside  well  covered  with  turf, 
which  can  be  cut  with  an  ordinary  lawn  mower. 

A  piece  of  iron  pipe  with  an  iron  ring  cemented 
into  it  has  been  sunk  into  the  ground  at  each  cor- 
ner of  the  seating  area  so  that  the  bottom  of  the 
ring  is  flush  with  the  ground.  A  white  painted 
rope  is  strung  through  the  rings  before  the  chairs 
are  placed,  thus  lining  out  the  seating  area.  The 
chairs  are  then  placed  in  rows  and  the  ropes 
removed. 


87 


Outdoor  Theaters 


The  steps  into  the  orchestra  pit,  to  the  rostrum, 
and  from  the  walk  up  to  the  rostrum  and  stage, 
are  made  of  old  railroad  ties,  well  weathered,  set 
flush  in  the  banks.  These  wooden  risers  and  turf 
treads  make  good  flights  of  steps. 

On  the  right  of  the  stage  a  small  plain  cement 
pool,  about  ten  feet  in  diameter,  was  built.  The 
stage  and  seating  area  slope  toward  the  orchestra 
pit,  which  is  drained  by  three  catch  basins  con- 
nected with  a  line  of  six-inch  pipe ;  the  six-inch  pipe 
is  in  turn  connected  with  a  line  of  eight-inch  pipe 
which  passes  under  the  walk  into  the  lake. 

The  first  large  pageant,  with  some  four  hundred 
girls  taking  part,  was  held  in  the  theater  in  Octo- 
ber, 1915.  This  was  in  celebration  of  Founders* 
Day.  Part  of  the  commencement  exercises  last 
June  were  also  held  here. 


88 


"ISIS  THEATER" 

ONE  of  the  most  elaborate,  beautiful  and 
successful  outdoor  theaters  in  the  United 
States  is  probably  the  Isis  Theater,  at  the 
International   Theosophical   Headquarters,   Point 
Loma,  Cal.    This  claims  to  be  the  first  truly  Greek 
theater  built  in  America.     It  has  been  in  use  for 
several  years  and  has  justly  received  considerable 
notice. 

Isis  Theater  is  situated  in  the  throat  of  a  short 
dry  arroyo  fronting  directly  out  upon  the  open 
Pacific  Ocean.  The  natural  amphitheater  formed 
by  the  head  of  the  arroyo  has  been  graded  to  sup- 
port the  cement  seats  swinging  in  wide  semicircles. 
The  orchestra  floor  is  paved  in  circular  pattern 
work.  At  the  back  of  the  stage  an  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  refined  Doric  temple  forms  the  focus 
and  background  of  the  stage  picture.  Beyond  this 
the  long  level  horizon  of  the  ocean  is  visible  for 
many  miles. 


89 


Outdoor  Theaters 


On  the  left  bank  of  the  canyon  another  build- 
ing, also  in  Doric  orders,  provides  for  the  music. 


Q      <3^ 


±3®& 


lHTE:BrtATlO»1AL 


LonA, 


AXAR.CH  >, 


90 


TWO    VIEWS    OF       ISIS    THEATER, 

Copyright  by  31  me.  Katherh 


POINT    LOMA,    CALIFORNIA 

Tinpley 


Outdoor  Theaters 


This  building,  though  near  enough  to  make  the 
music  fairly  audible,  is  partially  concealed  from 
the  onlookers  in  the  theater  itself. 

The  picture  presented  to  the  eye  from  the  seats 
of  the  Isis  Theater  is  magnificent  and  impressive 
in  the  extreme.  Probably  no  other  theater  in  the 
world  ever  approached  the  Isis  Theater  in  these 
qualities.  One  must  feel,  however,  that  the  very 
splendor  of  this  setting  detracts  to  a  degree  from 
any  performance  which  can  be  given  on  the  stage. 
It  would  require  stage  costuming  and  stage  acting 
of  extraordinary  merit  to  make  any  spectator  for- 
get that  long  yearning  horizon  of  the  Pacific;  and 
even  at  the  best  one's  attention  would  frequently 
wander,  first  to  the  architectural  poem  of  the  Greek 
temple,  and  then,  without  let  of  the  actors,  to  the 
rippling  blue  of  the  wide  ocean. 

The  orientation  of  this  theater  is  distinctly  in- 
convenient for  all  afternoon  performances.  The 
amphitheater  faces  almost  exactly  to  the  west,  thus 
making  the  theater  pit  unpleasantly  warm  on  all 
afternoons  unless  it  happens  to  be  decisively  cooled 
by  sea  breezes.  Moreover  the  sun  falls  directly  in 


Outdoor  Theaters 


the  eyes  of  the  visitors  on  the  seats,  while  the 
actors  on  the  stage  are  presented  in  dark  silhouettes 
and  the  marble  temple  itself  turns  its  shaded  side  to 
the  audience. 

The  acoustic  qualities  of  the  theater,  like  those 
of  every  other  outdoor  theater  without  exception, 
are  spoken  of  as  remarkable.  In  this  instance  it  is 
claimed  that  some  secret  details  of  construction 
have  assisted  materially  in  the  acoustic  results. 

Isis  Theater  was  designed  and  built  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  Mme.  Katherine  Tingley, 
head  of  the  International  Theosophical  Society 
at  Point  Loma,  by  whose  kind  personal  permission 
the  accompanying  photographs  are  reproduced. 


"THE  RHODODENDRON  GARDEN" 

ON  the  grounds  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College  the  author  has  designed 
and  constructed  a  small  social  garden  which 
has  come  to  be  known  as  the  "Rhododendron  Gar- 
den." This  was  originally  intended  to  provide  for 
social  events  of  various  kinds.  The  regular  College 
commencement  has  been  held  in  this  garden  on  sev- 
eral successive  Junes.  A  movable  stage  is  provided 
from  which  the  speaking  is  done  while  the  audience 
is  seated  upon  chairs  brought  into  the  grounds  for 
this  occasion. 

The  same  grounds  have  been  used  for  Shake- 
spearean performances,  for  exhibitions  of  dancing, 
for  public  demonstrations  by  the  Camp-fire  Girls 
and  the  Boy  Scouts,  for  regular  courses  of  lectures 
in  the  Summer  School  and  for  many  miscellaneous 
events. 

In  its  structural  design  the  "Rhododendron  Gar- 
den" is  the  extreme  of  simplicity.  The  ground  was 


Outdoor  Theaters 


already  furnished  with  a  number  of  large  and  in- 
teresting shade  trees  when  it  was  taken  in  hand  by 
the  present  designer.  A  heavy  border  of  shrub- 
bery— for  a  part  of  the  distance  a  double  border — 


"RHODODENDRON    GARDEN,"    MASSACHUSETTS    AGRICULTURAL 
COLLEGE 

was  placed  around  the  outside  to  secure  privacy. 
A  considerable  area  of  open  lawn,  somewhat  con- 
cave in  conformation,  occupies  the  principal  space. 
Smaller  areas  partially  segregated  from  the  main 
lawn  offer  convenient  opportunities  for  placing  the 


Outdoor  Theaters 


orchestra  at  a  large  meeting;  or  they  are  large 
enough  to  take  care  of  small  groups  when  the  large 
lawn  is  not  required.  Another  feature  is  an  at- 
tractive entrance  way  in  the  form  of  a  rose-covered 
garden  gate. 

Pleasing  features  of  this  plan  are  its  simplicity, 
its  privacy,  and  its  adaptability  to  a  great  variety 
of  uses. 


BRYN  MAWR 

HEREWITH  is  reproduced  a  most  attrac- 
tive design  for  a  garden  theater  in  the 
campus  of  Bryn  Mawr  College,  Pennsyl- 
vania.   The  design  is  by  Olmsted  Brothers,  land- 
scape architects,  of  Brookline,  Mass. 

One  of  the  requirements  in  this  plan  was  that  the 
arrangement  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  like 
that  of  an  indoor  theater.  This  was  with  a  view 
to  facilitating  the  transfer  of  indoor  plays  to  out- 
door surroundings.  The  seating  plan  of  the  in- 
door theater  is  preserved,  and  this  feature  might 
prove  convenient  at  times. 

The  intention  was  that  each  row  of  seats  should 
have  a  separate  turf  terrace,  the  seats  to  be  mov- 
able camp  chairs  or  folding  benches  brought  out  for 
each  performance. 

This  design  is  sufficiently  interesting  to  justify 
its  reproduction,  even  though,  unfortunately,  we 
may  think,  it  has  not  yet  been  carried  out. 


96 


Outdoor  Theaters 


97 


"BROOKSIDE" 

PRACTICALLY  speaking,  one  of  the  most 
successful    outdoor    theaters    anywhere    is 
"Brookside,"  built  and  managed  by  Miss 
Marcia  Leonard,  at  Mt.  Kisco,  N.  Y.    Advantage 
was  taken  in  this  theater,  as  in  so  many  others,  of 
a  natural  concavity  in  the  side  of  a  low  hill,  and  in 
this  hollow  a  simple  and  convenient  seating  was 
arranged. 

In  front  of  this  lies  a  level  grass-covered  stage 
without  any  floral  or  architectural  elaboration  ex- 
cept for  the  pergola-like  background.  This  per- 
gola is  simple,  almost  to  the  point  of  meagerness. 
Yet  it  serves,  with  the  reinforcement  of  some  small 
trees  and  other  foliage  masses,  to  make  a  very  good 
background  for  the  stage. 

The  stage  is  small,  very  near  the  spectators,  very 
simple  and  very  intimate.  These  are  qualities  of 
the  utmost  artistic  consequence.  On  this  stage 
players,  dancers  or  singers  never  have  to  compete 


98 


Outdoor  Theaters 


"BROOKSIDE,"  MT.  Kisco,  N.  Y. 


99 


Outdoor  Theaters 


with  elaborate  effects  of  horticulture  and  archi- 
tecture; neither  do  they  have  to  struggle  heavily 
across  structural  barriers  interposed  between  them 
and  their  audiences.  The  orientation  is  good,  as 
a  pleasing  stage  lighting  is  secured  while  the  after- 


,"  MT.  Kisco,  N.  Y. 


noon  sun  streams  comfortably  over  the  shoulders 
of  visitors  on  the  benches. 

So  far  as  I  know,  "Brookside"  is  the  only  out- 
door theater  properly  so  called  which  has  been  regu- 
larly used  for  the  commercial  production  of  plays, 
music  and  other  similar  material.  Miss  Leonard, 
however,  has  managed  this  theater  through  three 


100 


Outdoor  Theaters 


successful  seasons.  The  program  of  1914  may  be 
recorded  as  a  fine  example  of  the  uses  of  the  out- 
door theater.  It  was  as  follows : 

May  30,  Decoration  Day.  "Orpheus."  Music 
by  Gluck;  dances  arranged  and  executed  by  Flor- 
ence Fleming  Noyes  and  pupils. 

June  6.  The  Misses  Hoyt  in  a  program  of 
tableaux-chant  ants. 

June  13.  The  Electra  of  Sophocles;  incidental 
music  by  Moussorgsky. 

June  20.  Miss  Ruth  St.  Denis  in  Eastern  dances 
and  impersonations. 

June  27.  "Pinkie  and  the  Fairies,"  a  play  for 
children  and  grown-ups. 

July  4.    Variety  Entertainment. 


101 


"CRANBROOK" 

ONE  of  the  newest  of  the  outdoor  theaters, 
and  one  of  the  most  refined  in  design,  is 
Cranbrook.  This  was  designed  by  Mr. 
Marcus  R.  Burrowes,  architect  for  Mr.  George  G. 
Booth  of  Detroit.  This  may  fairly  be  called  a 
Greek  theater,  although  no  attempt  has  been  made 
to  reach  an  excessive  classicism  in  detail.  The 
theater  is  built  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  George  G. 
Booth,  at  Bloomfield  Hills  near  Detroit.  While  it 
is  entirely  under  private  ownership,  it  is  expected 
that  it  will  be  used  by  local  dramatic  and  musical 
societies.  The  following  account  of  this  theater  is 
clipped  from  the  Boston  Transcript  of  May  6, 
1916: 

"The  theater  is  set  on  a  hill  in  the  midst  of  an 
extensive  garden.  Or  rather  than  garden,  it  is  a 
farm  de  luxe,  with  farm  and  meadow  lands,  cattle, 
sheep,  goats,  dogs,  horses  and  so  on,  'for  the  very 
earthy,'  together  with  many  other  delights  to  the 


102 


Outdoor  Theaters 


senses,  such  as  kitchen  gardens,  walled  fruit  gar- 
dens, formal  and  wild,  and  bogs  for  orchids  and 
water  flowers,  all  to  'round  out  one  person  or  to 
meet  the  special  interest  of  each.'  This  character 
of  friendly  idleness  is  somehow  carried  out  in  the 


"CRANBROOK" — THE  ORCHESTRA 

architecture  of  the  theater.  This  reproduces  in 
stone  the  chief  characteristics  and  proportions  of 
the  Greek  theater  at  Syracuse  in  Sicily,  but  in  re- 
ducing the  dimensions  the  architect  has  managed  to 
get  quite  rid  of  the  austerity  of  the  original.  The 
theater  as  it  stands,  with  its  roomy  stage  and  its 
grass  'orchestra/  with  its  seats  in  friendly  prox- 


ies 


Outdoor  Theaters 


imity  to  the  actor,  invites  the  intimate  type  of  dra- 
matic production  which  American  little  theaters 
have  chiefly  housed. 

"Instead  of  the  conventional  temple  portal  the 
back  wall  of  the  stage  contains  three  openings. 


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Dill 

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These  may  be  curtained  for  the  performance.  But 
through  them,  when  the  'house  is  dark,'  can  be 
seen  the  inviting  swimming  pool  which  Mr.  Booth 
has  provided  perhaps  for  use  .and  certainly  for 
adornment.  This  is  symbolic  as  well  as  decorative, 
for  Greek  drama  was  never  far  removed  from  ath- 
letic games. 

104- 


Outdoor  Theaters 


"Thanks  to  luck  and  to  careful  planning,  the 
acoustics  of  the  little  theater  are  admirable.  A 
few  months  ago  the  Misses  Fuller  sang  some  of 


"CRANBROOK" — EXTERIOR  EMBELLISHMENTS 


105 


Outdoor  Theaters 


their  English  folk-melodies  there,  and  of  the  per- 
formance a  recorder  says:  'There,  in  the  face  of  a 
strong  wind  and  in  "citizens'  "  clothes,  they  sang  a 
variety  of  their  songs  and  then,  going  back  of 
the  stage  and  pool  to  the  pavilion,  they  sang  in 
half -voice  several  of  the  Gaelic  melodies  and  songs 
of  the  Hebrides.  Every  note  was  perfectly  audi- 
ble. The  music  seemed  also  to  take  on  an  un- 
earthly quality.  The  sound  was  held  and  the  very 
mood  given  back  by  the  setting.  It  was  like  the 
loveliness  of  a  thing  imagined.'  The  sponsors 
assert  that  the  swimming  pool  is  a  beneficent  aid 
to  the  acoustics." 


106 


A  REAL  MUNICIPAL  THEATER 

COMMUNITY  drama  is  looked  upon  by 
some  as  one  of  the  great  coming  social  move- 
ments.    Certain  it  is  that  most  attempts  at 
community  drama  and  pageantry  have  given  the 
happiest  social  results.     This  experience  has  been 
especially  marked  in  the  town  of  Anoka,  Minne- 
sota, with  a  population  of  a  little  over  four  thou- 
sand. 

Anoka  is  situated  on  the  picturesque  banks  of 
the  Rum  River,  and  at  a  point  where  this  stream 
circles  in  near  to  one  of  the  principal  streets  advan- 
tage has  been  taken  of  the  usual  concave  bank  to 
build  the  not  unusual  cement  stadium  seats.  At 
the  foot  of  the  bank  the  level  space  has  been  used 
for  the  development  of  an  attractive  stage.  In  this 
case  the  river  runs  behind  the  stage  and  is  visible 
from  the  seats  of  the  spectators,  instead  of  run- 
ning between  the  stage  and  the  spectators,  as  in 
some  other  outdoor  theaters. 


107 


Outdoor  Theaters 


The  Anoka  theater  was  built  in  1915  from  the 
designs  by  Purcell  &  Elmslie,  architects,  of  Min- 

YTAUC 


jtCTJOH 


OPtn  Aia 

AJIOKA.   MJHH. 


neapolis.    The  money  was  raised  by  various  com- 
munity enterprises  such  as  the  usual  fairs,  suppers, 


108 


OUTDOOR    MUNICIPAL    THEATER,    ANOKA,    MINNESOTA 


Outdoor  Theaters 


bazars,  etc.,  but  partly  also  by  performances  given 
in  the  theater  itself.  At  the  outset  a  canvas  cover 
was  provided  which  could  be  stretched  over  the 
auditorium  in  case  of  rain,  but  this  was  found  un- 
satisfactory and  has  been  abandoned. 

The  theater  cost  approximately  $4,500.  The  un- 
satisfactory character  of  the  cement  seats  led  early 
to  an  improvement  in  the  form  of  wooden-slatted 
seats  made  to  lie  upon  the  cement  benches.  These 
seats  have  comfortable  backs. 

The  theater  has  been  successfully  used  for  page- 
ants, various  kinds  of  plays,  including  motion  pic- 
ture shows,  and  for  musical  performances.  Archi- 
tecturally, dramatically  and  socially  it  is  considered 
a  striking  success. 


109 


GARDEN  THEATER  IN  DRESDEN 

IN  the  Royal  Park  in  Dresden  I  came  one  day, 
quite  unexpectedly,  upon  a  garden  theater  hid- 
den in  the  midst  of  a  considerable  stretch  of 
woods.  The  trees  were  old,  large  and  stately,  so 
that  we  had  the  feeling  here  of  being  in  the  big 
forest.  The  sun  slanted  warmly  in  through  the 
opening  in  the  tree  tops,  adding  to  the  sense  of 
seclusion  an  equally  agreeable  sense  of  warmth  and 
welcome.  I  sat  down  on  the  grass  terrace  and  for 
some  time  studied  the  delightful  layout,  after 
which  I  made  the  paced  survey  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying sketch  (page  111). 

This  little  theater  was  placed  transversely  upon 
a  long  straight  path  running  through  the  woods. 
This  path  was  not  a  structural  axis  in  the  general 
design  of  the  park.  It  entered  and  crossed  the  or- 
chestra pit  immediately  in  front  of  the  stage. 

The  orchestra  pit  was  depressed  about  three  feet 
below  the  general  level,  and  the  spoil  from  this 


no 


Outdoor  Theaters 


GARDEN  THEATER,  DRESDEN 


111 


Outdoor  Theaters 


excavation  had  been  heaped  up  to  form  the  circular 
grass  terraces  on  which  the  spectators  might  sit. 
The  stage  was  level  and  separated  from  the  orches- 
tra by  a  low  retaining  wall.  At  either  end  of  this 
wall  was  a  statuary  group,  marking  a  sort  of 
proscenium. 

At  the  back  of  the  stage  was  another  statuary 
group  of  considerable  mass.  Placed  obliquely 
along  either  side  of  the  stage  were  four  rectangular 
pedestals  about  four  feet  high.  I  was  left  to  con- 
jecture their  office.  My  guess  was  that  they  were 
used  to  support  flambeaux  for  lighting  the  stage 
during  performances. 

I  am  obliged  to  testify  without  qualification  that 
this  is  the  most  charming  outdoor  theater  which  I 
have  ever  seen.  Yet  it  was  of  the  most  inexpensive 
construction,  and  the  physical  and  topographic 
conditions  under  which  it  was  built  were  of  the  most 
ordinary  sort.  It  would  seem  that  the  ideas  rep- 
resented in  this  piece  of  work  are  capable  of  wide 
adoption. 


112 


REDLANDS  BOWL 

WHAT  is  known  as  the  "Bowl"  at  Red- 
lands,  Cal.,  is  an  enterprise  of  the  city 
park  department.    This  well-built  am- 
phitheater was  provided  mainly  with  a  view  to  the 
presentation  of  public  band  concerts. 

A  natural  depression  was  brought  to  a  smooth 
grade  and  permanent  seats  of  concrete  and  wood 
were  built.  The  stage  is  simply  a  hood,  practi- 
cally the  quarter  concavity  of  a  sphere,  used  as  a 
band  stand.  It  is  hardly  suited  for  dramatic  per- 
formances, though  it  could  probably  be  adopted 
without  much  difficulty  to  the  presentation  of  out- 
door kinematics. 

This  amphitheater  is  perhaps  somewhat  too  open. 
There  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  mountains,  but 
there  is  too  much  temptation  for  the  attention  of 
the  audience  to  stray  away  from  the  stage.  The 
big  paved  automobile  road  encircling  the  theater 
is  convenient  for  access,  but  the  coming  and  going 


113 


Outdoor  Theaters 


of  automobiles,  and  even  of  visitors  on  foot,  must 
measurably  disturb  players  and  auditors. 

For  every  outdoor  theater  it  is  especially  desir- 


-  GAL, 

BAUD  COIKERT  THEATRE 


able  that  provision  be  made  for  the  parking  of 
automobiles  at  some  little  distance.  Noisy  traffic 
and  other  external  disturbances  must  be  reduced 
to  the  minimum  by  carefully  laid  plans  to  that  end. 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  "THE   BOWL,"  REDLAXDS,  CALIFORNIA 


THE  JOHN  HAY  AMPHITHEATER 

THIS  most  striking  design  was  carried  out 
in  the  years  1912-13  at  Camp  John  Hay, 
Baguio,    Philippine    Islands.      It   was   the 
work  of  United  States  Army  officers,  Maj.-Gen. 
J.   Franklin  Bell   being   apparently  the  leading 
mover.    Maj.-Gen.  Bell  contributed  an  account  of 
the  undertaking  to  the  Teachers3  Assembly  Herald, 
a  local  publication.     His  statement  is  of  such  in- 
terest that  it  should  be  reproduced  in  full.     He 
says: 

"That  the  natural  semi-circular  hollow  in  which 
the  John  Hay  Amphitheater  is  constructed  pos- 
sessed most  remarkable  acoustical  properties  was 
demonstrated  by  actual  test  before  construction 
work  was  begun.  This  camp  has  no  chapel  or 
recreation  hall,  but  possesses  an  unusual  outdoor 
climate.  These  circumstances  led  to  the  conversion 
of  this  natural  hollow  into  what  its  very  form 
seemed  to  suggest,  an  open-air  amphitheater,  where 


115 


Outdoor  Theaters 


the  garrison,  and  the  general  public  as  well,  might 
occasionally  enjoy  mental  recreation  and  distrac- 
tion, as  well  as  religious  services. 

"The  general  plan  of  the  amphitheater  is  that  of 
semi-circular  tiers  of  seats,  arranged  on  five  ter- 
races, rising  one  above  the  other  toward  the  rear 
and  facing  southward  toward  the  speaker's  plat- 
form, situated  down  below  at  the  exact  center  of 
the  semi-circle. 

"The  terraces  are  twelve  feet  wide,  planted  to 
grass,  and  rise  in  steps  of  two  and  one-half  feet 
each,  except  the  highest — the  rear  one — which  rises 
five  feet  above  the  one  next  to  it. 

"At  the  inception  of  this  project,  we  failed  fully 
to  comprehend  the  true  size  of  the  undertaking,  but 
notwithstanding  the  difficulties  and  delays  encoun- 
tered from  time  to  time,  we  persevered  in  our  ef- 
forts and  to-day  our  task  is  well-nigh  completed. 
The  results  have  given  us  just  cause  to  feel  grati- 
fied with  what  we  have  achieved.  I  have  never 
known  any  one  who,  having  observed  these  results, 
does  not  consider  this  amphitheater  the  prettiest 
thing  of  the  kind  ever  seen. 


116 


Outdoor  Theaters 


117 


Outdoor  Theaters 


"The  first  thing  we  had  to  do  was  to  make  the  ter- 
races. It  took  very  little  grading  to  prepare  them 
because  the  ground  was  of  such  appropriate  shape. 
Then  the  construction  of  the  rock  walls  which  revet 
the  terraces  was  begun.  This  required  consider- 
able labor,  all  of  which  was  done  by  Igorots.  On 
top  of  each  of  these  terrace  revetment  walls,  and 
forming  a  part  thereof,  is  a  low  flower  wall,  about 
a  foot  high.  The  rock  with  which  the  terrace  walls 
are  constructed  was  largely  dug  out  of  the  ground 
itself,  while  grading  the  terraces,  and  is  of  very 
variegated  and  beautiful  colors,  reds,  browns,  and 
lavenders  predominating.  The  rock  in  the  flower 
walls  came  from  the  Whitmarsh  Valley  and  the 
Naguilian  Road  country.  It  is  a  grayish  white 
and  black  color  and  is  very  ornamental  in  effect. 
The  contrast  between  these  walls  heightens  the 
artistic  character  of  the  whole.  There  are  six  ter- 
race walls,  the  flower  wall  on  top  of  each  being 
filled  with  earth  and  planted  to  flowers  of  various 
kinds  and  colors.  Immediately  behind  the  high, 
rear  terrace  wall  is  a  hedge  of  hibiscus  and  behind 
that  a  row  of  tree-ferns.  In  the  rear  of  these  tree- 


118 


Outdoor  Theaters 


ferns  and  rising  higher  is  the  last  wall,  a  flower 
wall,  about  two  feet  high.  In  fact,  this  flower 
wall  exterids  entirely  around  the  perimeter  of  the 
amphitheater,  above  as  well  as  below.  The  lowest 
terrace  wall  is  extended  until  it  forms  a  figure 
closely  resembling  an  ellipse.  It  is,  in  shape,  actu- 
ally two  semi-circles,  whose  ends  are  joined  by  right 
lines  thirty  feet  long.  In  the  center  of  this  ellipti- 
cal figure  stands  a  pagoda,  whose  roof  rests  on  six 
pillars,  the  whole  hexagonal  in  shape,  with  a  semi- 
elliptical  platform  between  the  two  pillars  on  its 
front  side  and  extending  five  feet  to  the  front  of 
them.  This  platform  and  pagoda  serve  as  a  pulpit 
for  religious  exercises. 

"The  elliptical  figure,made  bythe  flower  wall  sur- 
rounding the  pagoda,  contains  two  side  walks,  fol- 
lowing the  diameter  of  the  semi-circular  amphithea- 
ter and  connecting  the  pagoda  with  flights  of  steps 
(discussed  later)  which  continue  upward  along  the 
diameter  to  the  perimeter  of  the  amphitheater. 
These  side  walks  divide  the  elliptical  space  into  two 
lawns,  the  rear,  or  south  lawn,  behind  the  pagoda, 
and  the  front,  or  north  lawn,  in  front  of  the  pagoda 


119 


Outdoor  Theaters 


which  (with  the  front  half  of  the  pagoda  floor)  con- 
stitutes the  stage  for  out-of-door  performances. 
The  front  lawn  slopes  slightly  toward  the  audience, 
which  faces  southward.  The  south,  or  rear  lawn,  is 
twenty  inches  lower  than  the  front,  or  north  lawn. 
The  pagoda  is  surrounded  by  a  side  walk  on  its 
southern  side,  and  by  steps  all  around  it  rising  to 
its  floor,  two  feet  above  the  side  walk. 

"One  break  is  made  in  the  elliptical  flower  wall 
surrounding  the  pagoda  by  two  wing  walls  built  to 
include  a  large  boulder  and  a  pretty  pine  tree  in  the 
lawn  surrounding  the  pagoda. 

"Five  equidistant  flights  of  stairs  (composed  of 
landings  on  terraces  and  steps  between)  rise  from 
the  lowest  terrace  wall  to  the  perimeter  wall  of  the 
amphitheater  to  facilitate  access  to  seats.  Two  of 
these  walls,  previously  referred  to,  follow  the  di- 
ameter of  the  semi-circular  terraces,  and  one  of 
them  bisects  them  into  two  equal  quadrants.  The 
other  two  stairways  bisect  these  quadrants.  One 
of  the  stairways  is  picturesquely  broken  up  into 
branches  by  intervening  obstacles. 

"None  of  the  trees  which  stood  on  the  ground  oc- 


120 


JOHN     HAY     AMPHITHEATER,    BAGUIO,     PHILIPPINE     ISLANDS 
OUTDOOR     AUDITORIUM,    SUGAR     LOAF     RESERVATION,     MASSACHUSETTS 


Outdoor  Theaters 


cupied  by  the  structure  have  been  disturbed.  They 
have  all  been  preserved.  One  of  them,  apparently 
standing  on  top  of  a  flight  of  steps,  really  grew  on 
a  large  boulder  and  the  steps  were  made  in  the  ter- 
race for  the  purpose  of  preserving  the  tree.  The 
preservation  of  this  tree,  as  well  as  one  which  grows 
out  of  a  very  large  boulder  in  the  orchestra  pit,  adds 
considerably  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  amphi- 
theater. 

"The  stage,  as  already  stated,  includes  that  por- 
tion of  the  lawn  between  the  pagoda  and  the  lower 
terrace  wall. 

"A  lot  of  very  large  boulders,  or  rocks,  stuck  out 
of  the  ground  in  the  upper  lefthand  (western)  por- 
tion of  the  amphitheater.  These  were  so  treated 
as  to  result  in  unique  boxes,  holding  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  persons  each.  These  boxes  are  connected 
with  flights  of  rustic  steps. 

"A  rock  tower,  surrounding  a  very  large  and 
shapely  pine  tree,  forms  one  of  the  striking  archi- 
tectural accents  of  the  structure.  There  are  other 
picturesque  features,  mainly  consisting  of  oddities, 
too  unusual  in  character  to  admit  of  lucid  descrip- 


121 


Outdoor  Theaters 


tion.  The  entire  structure  is  ornamented  here  and 
there  with  garden  vases,  varying  in  shape  and  color, 
filled  with  growing  plants. 

"This  amphitheater  can  seat  two  thousand  people, 
with  three  rows  of  chairs  on  each  terrace,  and  its 
acoustical  properties  are  so  good  that  one  can  stand 
in  the  pagoda  and,  speaking  in  a  stage  whisper,  be 
heard  almost  equally  well  by  every  person  in  the 
audience  whose  hearing  is  normal,  provided  perfect 
stillness  prevails  and  no  wind  is  astir.  Its  rather 
profuse  ornamentation  with  flowers  presents  a 
pleasing  and  unique  feature  not  embodied,  so  far 
as  is  known,  in  any  other  open-air  amphitheater 
in  the  world." 


122 


CARMEL,  CALIFORNIA 

IN  California  the  outdoor  theater  flourishes  be- 
yond all  other  parts  of  the  world.    A  favorable 
climate  must  receive  some  of  the  credit  for  this 
fact,  but  the  healthy  imaginations  of  the  Califor- 
iiians  have  undoubtedly  helped. 

The  outdoor  theater  at  Carmel  is  not  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  in  California,  but  is  perhaps  con- 
tent to  be  one  of  the  best.  It  is  not  too  large,  it  is 
not  over-pretentious,  it  is  snuggled  away  amongst 
friendly  shady  trees,  it  has  a  fine  foliage  back- 
ground for  its  stage.  All  these  are  positive  good 
qualities.  The  stage  background  in  particular  is 
one  of  the  best. 

The  accompanying  photographs  by  Mr.  L.  S. 
Slevin  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  theater  and  its 
ingratiating  surroundings. 


123 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Affi. 


—  CAUt 


AUDITORIUM,    STAGE    AND    ENTRANCE    GATE    OF    THE    OUTDOOR    THEATER    AT 
CARMEL,    CALIFORNIA 

Copyright  by  L.  S.  Slevin 


A  PLAYERS'  GREEN 

MR.  JENS  JENSEN  is  a  poet  and  a 
painter  as  well  as  a  landscape  architect. 
Mr.  Jensen  does  not  build  theaters — at 
least  not  by  preference — but  he  does  introduce  a 
"players'  green"  now  and  then  into  his  suburban 
gardens.  The  nomenclature  is  significant.  A  sim- 
ple nook  of  shaded  lawn  is  certainly  not  just  the 
same  as  an  outdoor  theater  with  stage  and  seats, 
no  matter  how  plain  the  theater.  And  a  players' 
green  on  a  private  home  place  is  surely  quite  differ- 
ent from  a  Greek  auditorium  on  the  campus  of  a 
big  state  university. 

As  illustrating  the  idea  the  accompanying  sketch 
plan  and  photographs  will  serve  very  well.  This 
particular  design  consists  of  a  small,  nearly  circu- 
lar, clipped  lawn,  backed  and  flanked  by  trees,  and 
serving  as  the  stage.  Fronting  it  on  the  same  level 
the  same  lawn  enlarges  into  a  space  where  auditors 
may  sit.  The  transition  from  stage  to  auditorium 


125 


Outdoor  Theaters 


is  marked  by  a  sort  of  proscenium  consisting  of  a 
larger  arching  tree  on  either  side,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent also  by  the  "council  rock."  This  latter  is  in 
reality  a  stage  feature,  though  placed  well  to  the 


T* 


126 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  PLAYERS'  GREEK  ox  PRIVATE  GROUXI 
Designed  by  Jens  Jensen.    See  plan,  page  126 


Outdoor  Theaters 


front  where  the  stage  blends  away  to  the  audi- 
torium. This  council  stone  is  a  symbol  (and  Mr. 
Jensen  is  very  fond  of  symbols)  intended  to  sug- 
gest to  susceptible  minds  the  thought  of  the  Ameri- 
can aborigines  gathered  round  their  council  rock 
for  the  recitation  of  their  native  epics  or  the  en- 
actment of  their  many  mystic  rituals.  Beside  this 
stone,  and  on  the  side  nearest  the  audience,  is  care- 
fully placed  a  small  dwarf  juniper. 

When  this  players'  green  is  used  at  night  it  is 
lighted  by  a  few  open  flambeaux. 

It  has  been  successfully  used  for  recitations,  bal- 
lad singing  and  simple  musical  performances.  So 
far  as  I  know  it  has  not  been  tried  out  with  larger 
enterprises  requiring  groups  of  actors. 

The  idea  of  the  players'  green  seems  to  be  espe- 
cially suitable  to  the  private  country  place  or  sub- 
urban garden.  It  is  a  feature  which  can  be  easily 
developed  in  such  surroundings  by  any  landscape 
architect  of  moderate  imagination. 


127 


PLAYERS'  GREEN,  COLUMBUS  PARK, 
CHICAGO 

ANEW  outdoor  theater  or  players'  green  is 
just   now  being   designed   for   Columbus 
Park,  Chicago,  by  Mr.  Jens  Jensen,  land- 
scape architect  of  that  city.     This  simple,  but  at- 
tractive, playground  is  to  be  constructed  during  the 
spring  of  1917. 

The  stage  consists  of  an  informal  lawn  separated 
from  the  auditorium  by  a  narrow  strip  of  water. 
The  auditorium  is  also  an  informal  lawn  sloping 
toward  the  stage  very  gently.  The  stage  back- 
ground is  formed  by  heavy  plantings  of  trees  and 
shrubbery.  Larger  trees  informally  placed  at  the 
front  of  the  stage  and  on  the  nearer  side  of  the 
water  make  a  very  informal  postenium. 

The  landscape  plantings  about  the  stage  and 
auditorium  form  an  important  feature  of  this  de- 
sign. The  plants  used  are  hawthorn,  crab  apple, 
plum,  sumacs,  etc.  Elm  trees  are  used  in  the  back- 


128 


Outdoor  Theaters 


An  0VTD00K  TB 

I©LVMI>Y5    PARR 

CHICAG0  ILLINOIS 


129 


Outdoor  Theaters 


ground,  while  the  four  trees  in  the  foreground  are 
American  aspen.  Along  the  brook  to  the  right  of 
the  audience  are  planted  interested  masses  of  cor- 
nus  alba,  while  in  the  water  are  various  aquatic 
plants  such  as  calamus,  cat-tails,  joint  grass,  iris, 
pickerel  weed,  arrow-head,  blue  lobelia  and  water- 
lilies. 

Back  of  the  boulders  are  fire  pits  for  the  lights. 
The  lights  will  thus  be  concealed  and  the  stage 
lighting  will  be  indirect.  Near  the  left  hand  cor- 
ner in  front  is  one  large  boulder  which  serves  as  a 
council  rock  and  from  which  the  speakers  may 
address  the  audience. 


130 


ITALIAN  GARDEN  THEATERS 

NEVER  was  the  garden  theater  more  widely 
or  more  skillfully  managed  than  in  the 
wonderful  Italian  villas  built  during  the 
period  of  the  Renaissance.    These  houses  and  gar- 
dens reached  a  high  stage  of  artistic  excellence. 
The  garden  theater  was  only  a  detail  in  a  large 
layout,  but  it  was  a  detail  very  commonly  used. 

These  Italian  theaters  were  nearly  always  small 
affairs  intended  for  the  accommodation  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  household  and  their  guests.  Amateur 
theatricals  and  amateur  musical  performances  seem 
to  have  been  the  principal  form  of  entertainment 
used  in  these  theaters.  Some  of  them  were  so  small 
as  to  accommodate  only  two  or  three  dozen  persons. 
The  snugness  and  intimacy  of  these  little  theaters 
is  to  be  especially  admired. 

They  were  practically  always  developed  as  an  in- 
tegral portion  of  the  larger  garden  design.  Some- 
times they  terminated  an  axis,  sometimes  they  occu- 


181 


Outdoor  Theaters 


pied  the  space  between  two  buildings,  sometimes 
they  merely  filled  a  nook  or  angle  of  the  garden, 
though  never  what  might  be  looked  upon  as  a  waste 


.Sect-/  on 


>Scd/c  of- 
THEATER  OP  HERCULES — ISOLA  BELLA 


132 


Outdoor  Theaters 


space.  Since  these  Italian  gardens  were  nearly  all 
of  formal  design  the  typical  location  for  the  theater 
was  upon  a  minor  axis.  This,  however,  is  a  type 
having  very  many  exceptions. 


VILLA   GORI  .  SIENA     tffonof  tfa,  GARDEN  THEATRE 


In  spirit  and  in  use  the  Italian  garden  theater 
was  more  like  the  Players'  Green  as  devised  by 
Mr.  Jens  Jensen  for  his  very  modern  clients  in 
Chicago  than  it  was  like  any  more  formal  garden 
structure  now  in  use  in  America.  That  is  these 


133 


Outdoor  Theaters 


garden  theaters  were  simply  incidental  items  in 
large  private  gardens  and  were  intended  solely 


Plan.   Seal*   about"  20 


JL 


ion    thru'  ce-nTer. 


134 


Outdoor  Theaters 


for  private  use.  Their  present  charm  of  course  is 
largely  due  to  the  years  of  growth  which  have  come 
to  them  and  sometimes  to  the  mellowness  of  decay. 
The  designs  are  very  interesting  to  the  student  of 
landscape  architecture,  though  they  cannot  very 
often  be  adapted  to  modern  American  uses.* 

*  The  student  who  wishes  to  know  more  about  the  Italian 
garden  theaters  should  consult  Triggs'  "Art  of  Garden  Design 
in  Italy"  (London,  1906),  and  the  interesting  sketch  by  Pro- 
fessor H.  V.  Hubbard  in  "Landscape  Architecture/'  4:53, 
1914. 


135 


SUGAR  LOAF 

AT  South  Deerfield,  Mass.,  is  the  Sugar 
Loaf  Reservation,  a  state  park  of  150 
acres,  the  chief  feature  of  which  is  a  fine 
mountain  giving  splendid  views  up  and  down  the 
Connecticut  Valley.  The  reservation,  however,  is 
open  for  various  sorts  of  public  recreation,  and 
quite  incidentally  there  has  been  built  the  open-air 
auditorium  shown  in  the  photograph.  It  is  an 
impromptu  scheme  in  every  way  and  has  never 
been  taken  seriously  by  any  one.  It  has  not 
been  used  for  dramatic  performances,  and  thus  the 
trees  which  cut  up  the  "stage"  have  not  been  trou- 
blesome. It  seems  to  have  served  the  need  of  Sun- 
day school  gatherings  and  of  various  occasional 
meetings  at  which  public  speaking  constituted  the 
entire  program. 

The  orientation  is  good,  the  surroundings  agree- 
able, and  the  simple  rustic  furniture  appropriate. 
This  very  simple  enterprise,  probably  costing  less 

136 


Outdoor  Theaters 


than  $100,  illustrates  how  easily  an  outdoor  audi- 
torium can  be  provided.  In  this  case  the  natural 
topography  was  not  at  all  favorable. 


137 


ABENAKI  CHAPEL 

CAMP  ABENAKI  is  a  successful  summer 
camp  for  boys  maintained  by  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain  at 
North  Hero,  Vt.  At  this  place  the  boys  have  built 
the  very  simple  but  wholly  adequate  "chapel"  illus- 
trated in  photograph. 

A  shallow  basin  offers  a  fairly  satisfactory  site, 
and  the  "pulpit"  is  prettily  backed  by  a  solid  wall 
of  arbor  vitaes.  The  "pulpit"  stands  toward  the 
west,  thus  making  an  advantageous  orientation  for 
meetings  held  in  the  forenoon,  when  this  auditorium 
is  mostly  used. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  cost  of  construc- 
tion was  negligible.  Yet  this  outdoor  "chapel" 
most  beneficially  and  agreeably  serves  every  need. 

The  use  of  such  airy  outdoor  meeting  places 
for  various  religious  services  is  much  to  be  com- 
mended. In  the  middle  western  and  southern 
states  especially  there  is  a  strong  feeling  for  this 

138 


Mil  s  \KI    CHAPEL 
PRIVATE     i,  MIDI, s      THEATER, 


WELD,        MASSACHUSETTS 


Outdoor  Theaters 


sort  of  religious  gathering,  and  it  is  rather  remark- 
able that  more  serious  and  intelligent  eff orts  have 
not  been  made  to  provide  dignified  and  attractive 
proseuches  along  these  lines. 


139 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

STUDENTS  of  landscape  architecture  or  of 
architecture  who  desire  to  follow  this  subject 
further  will  find  an  interesting,  though  some- 
what scattered,  literature.     The  following  list  of 
references  does  not  attempt  to  be  exhaustive,  but 
includes  those  articles  which  have  come  to  light  in 
the  preparation  of  the  present  work. 

Greek  Theater  for  University  of  California. 
C.  G.  Fisk,  Overland  ns,  43:143-5. 
H.  Henderson,  II.  Outlook,  77:  834-5,  Ag. 
6.  '04. 

Under  the  Greenwood  Tree. 

S.  A.  Armstrong,  II.  Craftsman,  12:620-8, 
S.  '07. 

Open-air  Theaters. 

Ind.  64:1362,  Je.  11, '08. 

Beauty  in  Out-door  Drama. 

II.  Craftsman,  18:570-3,  Ag.  '10. 


143 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Out-door  Plays  and  Pageants. 

P.  Mackaye,  II.  Ind.  68:1227-34,  Je.  2,  10. 

Planting  a  Play. 

G.  Middleton,  Bookn.,  32:148-53.  O.  '10. 

The  Drama  Invasion  of  the  Amphitheater. 
II.  Cur.  Lit.,  50:311-3.    Mr. '11. 

Portable  Theater. 

Outlook.    92:549.    Jan.  7, '11. 

What  California  has  Achieved  in  Theaterdom. 
R.  Grau,  II.    Overland,  ns.  58 :350-5.    O. '11. 

Experiences  of  an  Open-air  Actor. 

H.  Kyle,  II.    Harp.  W.  55:12-3.  D.  23,  '11. 

Open-air  Theaters  in  America. 

A.  Row,  Harp.  W.    21 :  O.  4,  '13. 

Where  Theaters  are  Out-of-doors. 

H.  F.  Stoll,  II.  Tech.  W.  20:403-7    N.  '18. 

Theaters  Roofed  by  the  Stars. 

H.  Lit.  Dig.  47:20-1.    Jy.  5,  J13. 

Italian  Garden  Theaters. 

H.  V.  Hubbard,  Land  Arch.  4:53,  1914. 

Rural  Theatricals  at  the  North  Dakota  Agr.  Col. 
H.  Survey,  32:408.    Jy.  18,  '14. 


144 


Outdoor  Theaters 


Garden  Theaters. 

Country  Life  Am.  27:43.  Mch.,  '15. 

Some  Garden  Theaters. 

Frank  A.  Waugh,  Arch.  Rev.  4:161.    Sept. 
16. 


145 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abenaki  Chapel,  138 
Acoustics,  62,  72 
Aerdromes,  35 
Anoka,    Minnesota,    Theater, 

107 

Anoka  Theater  Plan,  108 
Aristophanes'  Work,  23 
"As  You  Like  It,"  18 
Audience  and  Actors,  67 

Backgrounds,  51-56 

Baker,  Prof.  George  P.,  73 

Band  Concert  Theater,  113 

"Bankside,"   65 

Bell,  Maj.-Gen.  J.  Frank- 
lin, quoted,  115 

Ben  Greet  Players,  18,  83 

Bibliography,  143 

Booth,  Mr.  George  G.,  Owner, 
102 

"Brookside,"  98 

Brookside  Theater  Plan,  99 

Bryn  Mawr,  96 

Bryn  Mawr  Theater  Plan,  97 

Burrowes,  Marcus  R.,  De- 
signer, 102 

Cafe  Chantant,  45 
Carmel  Theater,  123 
Carmel  Theater  Plan,  124 


Cement  Construction,  47 
Coburn  Players,  68,  71 
Columbus       Park       Players' 

Green,  128 

Commercial  Productions,  100 
Community  Drama,  107 
Concealed  Lights,  130 
"Cranbrook,"  102 
"Cranbrook"    Theater    Plan, 

104 
Curtain  for  Stage,  58 

Design  for  Outdoor  Thea- 
ters, 31 

Dresden  Garden  Theater,  110 

Dresden  Garden  Theater 
Plan,  111 

Dressing  Rooms,  53 

Durand,  Prof.  George  H.,  70 

Enclosure,   39 
Entrance  Gateways,  60 
Electric  Light,  6l 
Elizabethan    Theater,    Yank- 
ton  College,  70 

Flambeaux,  61 

Forest  Park,  St.  Louis  Thea- 
ter, 52 


149 


Index 


Formal  vs.  Informal  Design, 

56 

Formal  Speaking,  27 
Foyer,  54 
Fresno,    California,    Theater, 

32 

Fuller  Sisters,  26,  105 
Furnishings,  58 

"Garden    Terrace    Theater," 

69 

Garden  Theaters  of  Italy,  131 
Greek  Agorae,  28 
Greek  Drama,  22 

Henderson,  V.  H.,  Quoted,  80 
Howard,    John    Galen,    De- 
signer, 83 
Hunt,  Myron,  Designer,  78 

Informal  Programs,  25 
International       Theosophical 

Society,  92 
"Isis  Theater,"  89 
Isis  Theater  Plan,  90 
Italian  Garden  Theater,  131 

Jensen,  Jens,  16 

Jensen,  Jens,  Designer,  125, 

128 
John  Hay  Amphitheater,  115 

Koch,  Prof.  Frederick  H.,  65 

Leonard,  Miss  Marcia,  Mana- 
ger, 98 


Lighting,  60 
Locations,  46 

Mannheim    Garden    Theater, 

37 

Masques,  24 
Massachusetts       Agricultural 

College  Theater,  93 
Modern  Drama,  19 
Mosquitoes,  43 
Mount  Holyoke  Theater,  26 
Movable  Scenery,  56 
Municipal  Theater,  107 
Musical  Programs,  27 

Old  Homestead,  20 
Olmsted  Brothers,  Designers, 

96 

Orientation,  43 
Outdoor  Speaking,  27 

Pageant  Grounds,  33 
Players'  Green,  125 
Pomona  College  Theater,  75 
Pomona       College       Theater 

Plan,  77 
Privacy,  40 

Problems  of  Design,  31 
Proscenium,   55 
Purcell  &  Elmslee,  Designers, 

108 

Redlands  Bowl,  113 
Redlands  Bowl  Plan,  113 
"Rhododendron  Garden,"  93 


150 


Index 


"Rhododendron 

Plan,  94 

Roman  Forum,  28 
Rural  Drama,  20 


Garden" 


Scenery,  56 
Seats,  47 

Segardi  Theater,  59 
Shakespearean  Tradition,  17 
Size  of  Theater,  36 
Social  Advantages,  55 
Stadiums,  31 
Stage,  50 

Strange,    Josephine    S.,    De- 
sign by,  57 

Sugar  Loaf  Theater,  136 
Sumner,  Prof.  C.  B.,  76 

Theater  of  Diana,  134 
Theater  of  Hercules,  132 
Tingley,  Madame  Katherine, 

Designer,  92 
Topography,  46 


Underwood,  Loring,  De- 
signer, 85 

University  of  California 
Theater,  80 

University  of  California 
Theater  Plan,  81 

Use  of  Outdoor  Theaters,  15 

Vassar  College  Theater,  85 
Vassar  College  Theater  Plan, 

86 

Ventilation,  41 
Villa  Collodi  Theater,  42 
Villa  Gori  Theater  Plan,  133 
Villa  Marlia  Theater,  40 
Villa     Mondragone     Amphi- 
theater, 34 

Warsaw  Outdoor  Theater,  48 

Wings,  53 

Wyman,  Phelps,  Designer,  69 

Yankton  College  Theater,  69 


151 


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